.^»^*£¤#@@                                          @@#¤£*^»^.
.^»^^^££#@                                          @#££^^^»^.
..^^»»»»*¤                                          ¤*»»»»^^..
.^»^*£#@##                                          ##@#£*^»^.
.^»^*£¤#@#                                          #@#¤£*^»^.
....»^£££¤         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¤£££^»....
......»*£#         ^ 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,%#  ##$=/-,...
.:«=*@@###   #&OF£THE@WAY@HOME¶@TO@THE£TIME@FROM#@  ###@@*=«:.
,:»†^%£###   #@WHERE#THEY#CAME,##@####AND#THEN@###  ###£%^†»:,
.:~†§%¤###   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE=«   ###¤%§†~:.
¨,,,.«%££@   --BEING » STOLEN »= FROM ==~ THEM. ¨   @££%«.,,,¨
,^=;^£§¶##          »- .  -«» ,  ~.  :-  «          ##¶§£^;=^,
¨..,,¨«§@@    ,   ~,          :                .    @@§«¨,,..¨
.,==^§§#¶@        ¨      ¨          .      *        @¶#§§^==,.
,~=\%%§@¶#                                          #¶@§%%\=~,
¨^»:*%#&@#                   ¨#¨                    #@&#%*:»^¨
,:~^†§@###                                          ###@§†^~:,
,..,-~\§@£                   AND,                   £@§\~-,..,
¨,-==@§#&@                                          @&#§@==-,¨
.-=/=%£¶@#  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  #@¶£%=/=-.
.^»\%*§¶##       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ##¶§*%\»^.
.,-^«^^$%¤                                          ¤%$^^«^-,.
,^==**§@@#                                          #@@§**==^,
,...»/$@§£                                          £§@$/»...,
,,=^†£¤###                                          ###¤£†^=,,
.,~\§^§†&@                                          @&†§^§\~,.