,,,,,,,,:~                                          ~:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,:                                          :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:~                                          ~:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:~:                                          :~:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:~:^                                          ^:~:,,,,,,
,,,,,:~:^£         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         £^:~:,,,,,
,,,,:~:^£§         : 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.  $*=,.,.¨¨,
..¨¨.,=†%£        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       £%†=,.¨¨..
¨,¨¨^=\§%£                                          £%§\=^¨¨,¨
.¨,,~:§§£#                                          #£§§:~,,¨.
¨,^~*†$###                                          ###$†*~^,¨
¨^»†=$£###                                          ###£$=†»^¨
,,:«†^$###                                          ###$^†«:,,