,,,,,,.~††                                          ††~.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.~†                                          †~.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.~                                          ~.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,.                                          .,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,         † 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.        =~.¨,.¨¨¨,
,.,,,,.«^§                                          §^«.,,,,.,
¨.,.,.~:*%                                          %*:~.,.,.¨
¨,,.~«/=£§                                          §£=/«~.,,¨
¨¨,:«^%§§@                                          @§§%^«:,¨¨
¨,,~*%%£¶@                                          @¶£%%*~,,¨