..~*$%£###                                          ###£%$*~..
...~*$%£##                                          ##£%$*~...
..~*$%£###                                          ###£%$*~..
...~*$%£##                                          ##£%$*~...
..~*$%£###                                          ###£%$*~..
...~*$%£##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##£%$*~...
..~*$%£###         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ###£%$*~..
...~*$%£##         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         ##£%$*~...
..~*$%£###         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         ###£%$*~..
...~*$%£##         *  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  *         ##£%$*~...
..~*$%£###         *  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  *         ###£%$*~..
...~*$%£##  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ##£%$*~...
..~*$%£###  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ###£%$*~..
...~*$%£##         *        AT ALL...     *         ##£%$*~...
..~*$%£###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###£%$*~..
..,»*^@@##                                          ##@@^*»,..
¨,-\$&####     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.        ###&$/«,..
¨~==^&£@##                                          ##@£&^==~¨
¨.^=†=%###                                          ###%=†=^.¨
,,»\$%¶@##                                          ##@¶%$\»,,
¨,.-==*@@#                                          #@@*==-.,¨
.^=†§§####                                          ####§§†=^.