,,,,~:$¤£#                                          #£¤$:~,,,,
,,,~:$¤£##                                          ##£¤$:~,,,
,,~:$¤£###                                          ###£¤$:~,,
,,,~:$¤£##                                          ##£¤$:~,,,
,,,,~:$¤£#                                          #£¤$:~,,,,
,,,,,~:$¤£         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         £¤$:~,,,,,
,,,,,,~:$¤         : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS :         ¤$:~,,,,,,
,,,,,~:$¤£         : IN A STALE TIMELINE, :         £¤$:~,,,,,
,,,,~:$¤£#         :  BRANCHED WAY BACK   :         #£¤$:~,,,,
,,,~:$¤£##         :  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  :         ##£¤$:~,,,
,,~:$¤£###         :  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  :         ###£¤$:~,,
,,,~:$¤£## COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  ##£¤$:~,,,
,,,,~:$¤£#  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  #£¤$:~,,,,
,,,,,~:$¤£         :        AT ALL...     :         £¤$:~,,,,,
,,,,,,~:$¤         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¤$:~,,,,,,
¨..,:=††¤@                                          @¤††=:,..¨
¨¨,,«†^$¶@     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     @¶$^†«,,¨¨
¨¨~»^*§@@#   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.        ¶§†*-:¨.,¨
¨...¨~-=%£                                          £%=-~¨...¨
,,,.,«*%£¶                                          ¶£%*«,.,,,
...^~=%%##                                          ##%%=~^...
.,.~/^*###                                          ###*^/~.,.
¨~~=§£####                                          ####£§=~~¨