...,~*%£##                                          ##£%*~,...
....,~*%£#                                          #£%*~,....
.....,~*%£                                          £%*~,.....
......,~*%                                          %*~,......
.......,~*                                          *~,.......
........,~         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ~,........
.........,         * 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.        »,¨..,..,,
¨,..,¨,.,,                                          ,,.,¨,..,¨
¨,,,,,.¨~~                                          ~~¨.,,,,,¨
¨.¨,.,,,-^                                          ^-,,,.,¨.¨
¨¨.¨.¨,~/^                                          ^/~,¨.¨.¨¨
,,...:~\%*                                          *%\~:...,,