.,-*$@£¶@#                                          #@¶£@$*-,.
....,-$@¶@                                          @¶@$-,....
.,-*$@£¶@#                                          #@¶£@$*-,.
.,-*$$$@££                                          ££@$$$*-,.
.,-*$@£££@                                          @£££@$*-,.
.,-*$@£¶¶@         # -------------------- #         @¶¶£@$*-,.
.,-*$@££££         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ££££@$*-,.
.,-*$@£¶@#         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         #@¶£@$*-,.
.,-*$@£¶@@         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         @@¶£@$*-,.
.,-*$@£¶@#         *  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  *         #@¶£@$*-,.
.....-$@@¶         *  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  *         ¶@@$-.....
.,-*$@£¶@#  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, #@¶£@$*-,.
.,-*$@£¶@#  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  #@¶£@$*-,.
...,-$$$$£         *        AT ALL...     *         £$$$$-,...
.,-*$@£¶@#         # -------------------- #         #@¶£@$*-,.
.^=\*%&@#£                                          £#@&%*\=^.
,^-\§$@@##     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;»   @§¤%@$;=^¨
,:«;*&#¶##   =«BEING ~ STOLEN ~= FROM »~~ THEM. .   ##¶#&*;«:,
.,,~-=*@¶¶          »~ ¨  -=~ .  »¨  ~-  =          ¶¶@*=-~,,.
,~~*@¤¶@##    :   ~.          -                ¨    ##@¶¤@*~~,
,.,..¨,;¤#        ,      ,          .      †        #¤;,¨..,.,
.,~†§£#@##                                          ##@#£§†~,.
¨,~*§¤§###                    ,#.                   ###§¤§*~,¨
.,¨¨¨»†$@#                                          #@$†»¨¨¨,.
.,«/=££@@#                   AND,                   #@@££=/«,.
,,»:*@&@@#                                          #@@&@*:»,,
,..,;†§§¤&  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  &¤§§†;,..,
.:=/=%£¶##        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ##¶£%=/=:.
¨,=;%$@###                                          ###@$%;=,¨
¨.¨,-~*^$£                                          £$^*~-,¨.¨
¨,~/%£%£&#                                          #&£%£%/~,¨
.,-:†*¤¶##                                          ##¶¤*†:-,.
..-\*†¤¤§#                                          #§¤¤†*\-..