.:=†%&§@##                                          ##@§&%†=:.
.....:†&§@                                          @§&†:.....
.:==†%%§§@                                          @§§%%†==:.
.:=†%&§@##                                          ##@§&%†=:.
.:=†%&@###                                          ###@&%†=:.
.:=†%&§@##         # ==================== #         ##@§&%†=:.
.:=†%&§@##         † 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.  ##@&£=*»,¨
¨:-;$$#@##        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ##@#$$;-:¨
,,,.=~~$@¶                                          ¶@$~~=.,,,
¨^=:=%£*#@                                          @#*£%=:=^¨
.:«†%£&@@#                                          #@@&£%†«:.
.¨.,..^†§£                                          £§†^..,.¨.
¨,~:**&£@#                                          #@£&**:~,¨