...,«=%&##                                          ##&%=«,...
....,«=%&#                                          #&%=«,....
...,«=%&##                                          ##&%=«,...
..,«=%&###                                          ###&%=«,..
.,«=%&####                                          ####&%=«,.
..,«=%&###         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ###&%=«,..
...,«=%&##         = 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.        ##£&$;«^,¨
.~==$¤@###                                          ###@¤$==~.
.¨:~:†&###                                          ###&†:~:¨.
,..^=\†&##                                          ##&†\=^..,
..,.,=:%%#                                          #%%:=,.,..
.¨,~-/%$£@                                          @£$%/-~,¨.