.«=†&&@@##                                          ##@@&&†=«.
.~«=†&&@@#                                          #@@&&†=«~.
..~~=†&&&@                                          @&&&†=~~..
.~«=†&&@@#                                          #@@&&†=«~.
.~«=†&&@@#                                          #@@&&†=«~.
......~=†&         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         &†=~......
.......«†&         = 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.        @**¤§«,¨¨¨
,~-/$$@@##                                          ##@@$$/-~,
,,«»»\/=*¤                                          ¤*=/\»»«,,
,.,¨,,»%£@                                          @£%»,,¨,.,
.¨.¨,~*=$§                                          §$=*~,¨.¨.
.,~/†£@@@#                                          #@@@£†/~,.