.....:†%&&                                          &&%†:.....
.:=†%%&&#@                                          @#&&%%†=:.
..:=††%&#@                                          @#&%††=:..
.:=†%%&#@#                                          #@#&%%†=:.
.:=†%%&#@#                                          #@#&%%†=:.
....:†††%#         # ==================== #         #%†††:....
.:=†%%&#@#         † 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.        #@§*/^.~..
.:-;§@$¤§#                                          #§¤$@§;-:.
,,-^=¤&###                                          ###&¤=^-,,
,,..^-§$%&                                          &%$§-^..,,
,¨.¨,,~=†&                                          &†=~,,¨.¨,
.,¨:,†/^@#                                          #@^/†,:¨,.