.:«======#                                          #======«:.
.:::«=$$##                                          ##$$=«:::.
.:«==$##@#                                          #@##$==«:.
.:«====$##                                          ##$====«:.
.:«==$##@@                                          @@##$==«:.
.:«==$##@#         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         #@##$==«:.
.....:=$##         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ##$=:.....
.:«==##@##         = 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,                   #@@¤*=*~,,
¨¨,,^*/%¤&                                          &¤%/*^,,¨¨
¨~«;*$&@##  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ##@&$*;«~¨
,.,.,~$&£@       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        @£&$~,.,.,
,¨¨,-=%%%#                                          #%%%=-,¨¨,
¨:»†^£@###                                          ###@£^†»:¨
.~~†$*£@##                                          ##@£*$†~~.
,-=\=£&£##                                          ##£&£=\=-,
,:»†%@¤###                                          ###¤@%†»:,