,,,,,,~†£@                                          @£†~,,,,,,
,,~†††£§§@                                          @§§£†††~,,
,,~††£§@##                                          ##@§£††~,,
,,,,,,,~†§                                          §†~,,,,,,,
,,,~~††§§#                                          #§§††~~,,,
,,,,,,,††§         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         §††,,,,,,,
,,~††£§###         † 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.        #§%*$«.,,.
,--^%#@###                                          ###@#%^--,
¨,¨,:†%£¶#                                          #¶£%†:,¨,¨
,:»†%$@£##                                          ##£@$%†»:,
.:~=%$§£##                                          ##£§$%=~:.
,~«^†§*%£#                                          #£%*§†^«~,