.^«^=£@#@#                                          #@#@£=^«^.
.^«^=£@###                                          ###@£=^«^.
.^«^=£@###                                          ###@£=^«^.
...^^^===@                                          @===^^^...
.^«^=£@#@@                                          @@#@£=^«^.
...^^=£@#@         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         @#@£=^^...
.^«^=£@#@#         ^ 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.        ##@@§§/-..
,....-=&@#                                          #@&=-....,
¨,»:^$@@##                                          ##@@$^:»,¨
.¨.-»-\$§#                                          #§$\-»-.¨.
,,,,.:\^§@                                          @§^\:.,,,,
.-=:§@&@@#                                          #@@&@§:=-.