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