....~~†$*@                                          @*$†~~....
.....~~†$*                                          *$†~~.....
......~~†$                                          $†~~......
.......~~†                                          †~~.......
......~~†$                                          $†~~......
.....~~†$*         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         *$†~~.....
....~~†$*@         † 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.        ###§£%=~~.
,.,~†$£&@#                                          #@&£$†~,.,
¨¨,^-;^¤§¶                                          ¶§¤^;-^,¨¨
¨.,¨:»/%§@                                          @§%/»:¨,.¨
,,,..,-\†%                                          %†\-,..,,,
,.,,¨.,=*†                                          †*=,.¨,,.,