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