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