¶$%^......                                          ......^%$¶
£$^--.....                                          .....--^$£
##¶£$%^-..                                          ..-^%$£¶##
##¶£$%^-..                                          ..-^%$£¶##
##¶£$%^-..                                          ..-^%$£¶##
¶$$^-.....         # -------------------- #         .....-^$$¶
##¶£$%^-..         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ..-^%$£¶##
##¶£$%^-..         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         ..-^%$£¶##
#¶¶£$%^-..         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         ..-^%$£¶¶#
£%%%-.....         ^  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,                   .~=;^§¤£##
###@#&*~~¨                                          ¨~~*&#@###
#&$/»^~¨,.  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  .,¨~^»/$&#
##@¶£*$*»,        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ,»*$*£¶@##
@@*%=-...¨                                          ¨...-=%*@@
£&£^%%*-,.                                          .,-*%%^£&£
@@&%*\\»~,                                          ,~»\\*%&@@
##£&*,,.¨,                                          ,¨.,,*&£##
###@£^†».¨                                          ¨.»†^£@###