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