...,::=%£@                                          @£%=::,...
.,«:=%%%%@                                          @%%%%=:«,.
.,«:=%£@##                                          ##@£%=:«,.
....,,,:=£                                          £=:,,,....
.,«:=%£@##                                          ##@£%=:«,.
.,«««==££@         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         @££==«««,.
.,«:=%£@##         : 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.  #¶£#%=*-,.
.,,«\/$$£@        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       @£$$/\«,,.
,-=*$&&£##                                          ##£&&$*=-,
¨,~==%§#£#                                          #£#§%==~,¨
.-«*%££###                                          ###££%*«-.
.,\^§§@###                                          ###@§§^\,.
¨-=;§&§¶@#                                          #@¶§&§;=-¨