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