...,«*§£¤#                                          #¤£§*«,...
..,«*§£¤##                                          ##¤£§*«,..
.,«*§£¤###                                          ###¤£§*«,.
..,«*§£¤##                                          ##¤£§*«,..
...,«*§£¤#                                          #¤£§*«,...
....,«*§£¤         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¤£§*«,....
.....,«*§£         * 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,                   $^=~^¨¨¨..
.,.,,,.»\§                                          §\».,,,.,.
¨.¨,,.~†$$  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  $$†~.,,¨.¨
¨,.,~=:$&#        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       #&$:=~,.,¨
.,,,«=%£§#                                          #§£%=«,,,.
.,~===¤§##                                          ##§¤===~,.
,~-;*¤§###                                          ###§¤*;-~,
.¨^-^†%¤@#                                          #@¤%†^-^¨.
,¨.-»^§@£@                                          @£@§^»-.¨,