....,=;§£@                                          @£§;=,....
.....,=;§£                                          £§;=,.....
......,=;§                                          §;=,......
.......,=;                                          ;=,.......
........,=                                          =,........
.........,         # ==================== #         ,.........
........,=         ; 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.       ,¨.¨..,,,¨
,,,¨.¨.¨.~                                          ~.¨.¨.¨,,,
.,,,,,¨~=^                                          ^=~¨,,,,,.
.,,,¨.~«^§                                          §^«~.¨,,,.
..,,,-»;*&                                          &*;»-,,,..
¨¨.¨:~;^&£                                          £&^;~:¨.¨¨