.--\^$£¶@#                                          #@¶£$^\--.
.--\^$£¶@@                                          @@¶£$^\--.
.--\^$£¶@#                                          #@¶£$^\--.
.....-\$£@                                          @£$\-.....
.....-\\^£                                          £^\\-.....
.--\^$£¶¶@         # -------------------- #         @¶¶£$^\--.
.--\^$£¶@#         \ 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#    ##@&$%=~-¨
.¨.,-*^%@# #&OF@¤EXACTLY¤@HOW¤THEY¤HAD@TRAVELED,§#  #@%^*-,.¨.
,-~/=¤#@##  #§OF#THE£WAY@HOME##TO#THE£TIME@FROM##   ##@#¤=/~-,
,,¨,,-*§¤£   ##WHERE#THEY#CAME,#@####@AND#THEN#@##  £¤§*-,,¨,,
¨,¨.¨:*/§&   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS†KNOWLEDGE^-   &§/*:¨.¨,¨
.,-†^£@¶##   =-BEING « STOLEN ~~ FROM ~~- THEM. .   ##¶@£^†-,.
.,»^^%#@##          -» ,  =~» ¨  ».  -=  =          ##@#%^^»,.
,,»/=$†$&§    .   :,          -                ,    §&$†$=/»,,
.¨¨,~*^†¤¶        ,      .          ,      †        ¶¤†^*~,¨¨.
¨.,-\*$%&£                                          £&%$*\-,.¨
¨.,...-**¤                    .#¨                   ¤**-...,.¨
¨-=/§$@###                                          ###@$§/=-¨
,.,-«==§¶¶                   AND,                   ¶¶§==«-,.,
,.,,,,::££                                          ££::,,,,.,
¨.¨¨:\%£@&  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  &@£%\:¨¨.¨
.,..¨==*¤@       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        @¤*==¨..,.
.,=*†=*§@#                                          #@§*=†*=,.
.^~~=;\/%§                                          §%/\;=~~^.
,~»/%%@@##                                          ##@@%%/»~,
.-~;†£#@##                                          ##@#£†;~-.
.,,.¨¨-$%#                                          #%$-¨¨.,,.