,,,^»†§£##                                          ##£§†»^,,,
,,,,^»†§£#                                          #£§†»^,,,,
,,,,,^»†§£                                          £§†»^,,,,,
,,,,,,^»†§                                          §†»^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^»†                                          †»^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^»         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         »^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,^         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         ^,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^»         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         »^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^»†         †  BRANCHED WAY BACK   †         †»^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^»†§         †  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  †         §†»^,,,,,,
,,,,,^»†§£         †  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  †         £§†»^,,,,,
,,,,^»†§£# COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  #£§†»^,,,,
,,,^»†§£##  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ##£§†»^,,,
,,^»†§£###         †        AT ALL...     †         ###£§†»^,,
,^»†§£####         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ####£§†»^,
,.:-^$*¤£@                                          @£¤*$^-:.,
,¨,^~**£@@     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     @@£**~^,¨,
,,...«;%$¤   LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK,   ¤$%;«...,,
¨.¨¨,~~*%§  FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND §%*~~,¨¨.¨
¨,...,^~/§  ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND.   §/~^,...,¨
¨.,¨¨¨.,«*   IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY,   *«,.¨¨¨,.¨
¨¨.,,¨,..=     AND ABOUT TO FIND THE WOLF POOL.     =..,¨,,.¨¨
.,¨,,,¨...                                          ...¨,,,¨,.
...,.,¨,^~                   ¨#.                    ~^,¨,.,...
¨,¨,..,.~:                                          :~.,..,¨,¨
,.¨¨..~»^=    THE POOL LIES IN A SMALL METEORITE    =^»~..¨¨.,
¨.¨.¨:»*%%   IMPACT CRATER, SIXTY METERS ACROSS.    %%*»:¨.¨.¨
,..,.«†=&@   IT'S SURFACE IS PITCH BLACK AND EVEN   @&=†«.,..,
.,.~~/$¤§¶   THOUGH IT'S NOT WELL PROTECTED, IT IS  ¶§¤$/~~.,.
¨¨,-/%&§##           UNDISTURBED BY WIND.           ##§&%/-,¨¨
.,-;=£&@##                                          ##@&£=;-,.
¨,:»/*£¤#@                    ¨#¨                   @#¤£*/»:,¨
.,¨^=:=£¤¶                                          ¶¤£=:=^¨,.
,..¨:~/§@§     AS THEY STUMBLE ON THE POOL, THE     §@§/~:¨..,
..,.¨-«*^% EXPLORERS FIRST BELIEVE IT TO BE WATER,  %^*«-¨.,..
¨¨.¨,.,-;*    WHICH IS SOMETHING THEY ALL DESIRE    *;-,.,¨.¨¨
.,¨¨¨.¨~«/   GREATLY AT THIS POINT. THEY FAIL TO    /«~¨.¨¨¨,.
,,.,,...,- NOTICE THAT THE STARS DO NOT REFLECT ON  -,...,,.,,
¨.,....,¨,   ITS SURFACE. ONE OF THEM CROUCHES TO   ,¨,....,.¨
,,..¨¨,.,«    DRINK, FORMS A CUP WITH HIS HANDS,    «,.,¨¨..,,
¨¨¨,¨.,^=†       LOWERS THE CUP INTO THE POOL.      †=^,.¨,¨¨¨
.¨¨¨,¨-~\%                                          %\~-¨,¨¨¨.
¨¨¨,¨--/§$ HE TRIES TO RESIST AT FIRST, BUT IS TOO  $§/--¨,¨¨¨
¨¨¨,:»^§£&   CLOSE, AND HE QUICKLY GIVES UP AS THE  &£§^»:,¨¨¨
..,,«†%%§#  LIQUID FLOWS INTO HIS MIND. THE OTHERS, #§%%†«,,..
,..~\§§&@#   - NOT UNDERSTANDING THE«DANGER, MOVE   #@&§§\~..,
.~~^%$&@@#       CLOSER TO HELP THEIR¨FRIEND.       #@@&$%^~~.
¨.,~†§$###       ,      =    -            , ,       ###$§†~,.¨
,.,,»;%&£#    AND¨THEN,THE,POOL.ANNOUNCES.ITSELF    #£&%;»,,.,
.,...~†*@§      TO¨THEM¨-¨SUDDEN,,.THOUGHTS.OF.     §@*†~...,.
,.¨,.,~^§£   ,:=DARK~WOLVES-,CLIMBING,OUT.OF.,:~    £§^~,.,¨.,
¨¨,¨.,-=**    =««THE=POOL,»SURROUNDING†THEM;-:/;    **=-,.¨,¨¨
.,..,..^»†    ^SUDDEN*THOUGHTS*OF-»†CLIMBING;§%     †»^..,..,.
¨¨,¨¨¨..:-   INTO*THE/POOL,%THEIR$THIRST*FLARING%   -:..¨¨¨,¨¨
..¨¨,,,¨¨^    ***BRIGHT*-$%A§SUDDEN£@AWARENESS#     ^¨¨,,,¨¨..
,¨¨..¨.,,« #£OF¤&EXACTLY@£HOW£THEY#HAD¤TRAVELED,%#  «,,.¨..¨¨,
¨,,,.¨.,»=  #@OF&THE@WAY£HOME##TO£THE@TIME#FROM£#   =»,.¨.,,,¨
¨,¨¨..:~=^   #¶WHERE#THEY#CAME,#@##@##AND#THEN####  ^=~:..¨¨,¨
.¨.¨¨,~†^&   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE=»   &^†~,¨¨.¨.
,¨,¨.=^^£@   «»BEING « STOLEN «~ FROM === THEM. ,   @£^^=.¨,¨,
¨¨.:~:§§&@          -~ ,  -=« .  «¨  ,~  ~          @&§§:~:.¨¨
,¨,~=%£#£#    ,   ,-          :                ,    #£#£%=~,¨,
.,==%@#¶@#        ¨      ¨          ,      $        #@¶#@%==,.
¨.,»=%*£#@                                          @#£*%=»,.¨
.¨¨-~;*££#                   ¨#,                    #££*;~-¨¨.
¨,,,:-^†£§                                          §£†^-:,,,¨
¨¨,,.,=*$¤                   AND,                   ¤$*=,.,,¨¨
,....,-«^^                                          ^^«-,....,
,¨.¨,,¨,~\  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  \~,¨,,¨.¨,
.,,¨,¨,.,=       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        =,.,¨,¨,,.
¨.¨.¨¨¨,,,                                          ,,,¨¨¨.¨.¨
¨¨..¨,¨,:«                                          «:,¨,¨..¨¨
.,¨¨,¨.~=^                                          ^=~.¨,¨¨,.
.¨.,..~~^§                                          §^~~..,.¨.
¨¨.,¨~~;§@                                          @§;~~¨,.¨¨