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