......^«=%                                          %=«^......
.....^«=%&                                          &%=«^.....
....^«=%&#                                          #&%=«^....
...^«=%&##                                          ##&%=«^...
..^«=%&###                                          ###&%=«^..
.^«=%&####         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ####&%=«^.
..^«=%&###         = 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.        $=/«^..¨¨,
,¨.,.¨,~=%                                          %=~,¨.,.¨,
¨¨.,,.,,«*                                          *«,,.,,.¨¨
.,¨,,,¨.-»                                          »-.¨,,,¨,.
,¨,¨¨,.,,~                                          ~,,.,¨¨,¨,
¨.,.¨¨¨.,,                                          ,,.¨¨¨.,.¨