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