..~«\*£@@#                                          #@@£*\«~..
.~«\*£@@##                                          ##@@£*\«~.
..~«\*£@@#                                          #@@£*\«~..
...~«\*£@@                                          @@£*\«~...
....~«\*£@                                          @£*\«~....
.....~«\*£         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         £*\«~.....
......~«\*         \ 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.       @§§%=~^¨¨,
..,=^%£££#                                          #£££%^=,..
¨,«:=@¤£##                                          ##£¤@=:«,¨
¨,^~^^@§@#                                          #@§@^^~^,¨
¨,,^«†=%#£                                          £#%=†«^,,¨
,¨¨,.«†$@&                                          &@$†«.,¨¨,