....~=;*§¶                                          ¶§*;=~....
.....~=;*§                                          §*;=~.....
......~=;*                                          *;=~......
.......~=;                                          ;=~.......
........~=                                          =~........
.........~         # ==================== #         ~.........
........~=         ; 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.        ,¨.,¨¨.,.¨
,,,.¨.¨.^~                                          ~^.¨.¨.,,,
,¨¨.¨¨.,«:                                          :«,.¨¨.¨¨,
.,.¨¨¨:~\$                                          $\~:¨¨¨.,.
,,.¨,-~*%@                                          @%*~-,¨.,,
,,..-~\=§@                                          @§=\~-..,,