,,~:^$&@##                                          ##@&$^:~,,
,,,,,,~^$&                                          &$^~,,,,,,
,,~:^$&£@#                                          #@£&$^:~,,
,,~:^$&£@#                                          #@£&$^:~,,
,,~:^^$$$£                                          £$$$^^:~,,
,,~:^$£@##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##@£$^:~,,
,,~:^$£@##         : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS :         ##@£$^:~,,
,,~:^$$&£@         : IN A STALE TIMELINE, :         @£&$$^:~,,
,,,,,~~^$&         :  BRANCHED WAY BACK   :         &$^~~,,,,,
,,~:^$&£@#         :  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  :         #@£&$^:~,,
,,~^$&£@##         :  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  :         ##@£&$^~,,
,,~:^$&£##  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ##£&$^:~,,
,,~~:::^&&  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,                   £§%$/«.¨.¨
.^«/*%@@##                                          ##@@%*/«^.
¨,,,,,~=^£  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  £^=~,,,,,¨
.~~=*%@###        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ###@%*=~~.
.,¨¨~=£¤#£                                          £#¤£=~¨¨,.
¨...,*†##@                                          @##†*,...¨
.:»†**&@##                                          ##@&**†»:.
.~»^^$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$^^»~.
,-~^§%&###                                          ###&%§^~-,