..^^//%%&&                                          &&%%//^^..
.^«/%&&@##                                          ##@&&%/«^.
.....^^«%&                                          &%«^^.....
.^«/%&&@##                                          ##@&&%/«^.
......«/&@                                          @&/«......
.^«/%&&@##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##@&&%/«^.
..^^^«%%&#         / 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.       #@@@£=*~,,
.,-:*%#@#@                                          @#@#%*:-,.
.-«/=%§###                                          ###§%=/«-.
,^:^-/^*%#                                          #%*^/-^:^,
,,»:=%@###                                          ###@%=:»,,
¨^-^%¤§£@#                                          #@£§¤%^-^¨