.:=^%*¤@@@                                          @@@¤*%^=:.
.:=^%*¤@@#                                          #@@¤*%^=:.
.:=^%%%¤@@                                          @@¤%%%^=:.
.:=^%*¤@@@                                          @@@¤*%^=:.
.....::=%¤                                          ¤%=::.....
.....::^*¤         # ==================== #         ¤*^::.....
.:=^%*¤@@#         ^ 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.  ##=;\-.,,¨
.^-=*$§£##       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ##£§$*=-^.
¨.--»===%#                                          #%===»--.¨
.,=\†¤&@@#                                          #@@&¤†\=,.
,,~\%$§@##                                          ##@§$%\~,,
,:~:*@@###                                          ###@@*:~:,
.,¨,^,=†*@                                          @*†=,^,¨,.