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