....::=@@@                                          @@@=::....
.....::=%&                                          &%=::.....
.....-%@&&                                          &&@%-.....
.:-=%@&@##                                          ##@&@%=-:.
.:-===%%@@                                          @@%%===-:.
.:-=%@&@##         # -------------------- #         ##@&@%=-:.
....::-%&&         = 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,                   ##££&$\»,.
.,»/†%@£¶#                                          #¶£@%†/»,.
,.~;%¤§£@#  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  #@£§¤%;~.,
,.=\^&&@@#       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        #@@&&^\=.,
,,.,«=$^§&                                          &§^$=«,.,,
,.:,:~*%%@                                          @%%*~:,:.,
¨.¨..^/†£¶                                          ¶£†/^..¨.¨
.:»/^§%££@                                          @££%§^/»:.
¨¨.¨.-;&$#                                          #$&;-.¨.¨¨