,:~^^%£###                                          ###£%^^~:,
,,,:^^^%£#                                          #£%^^^:,,,
,:~^^%£###                                          ###£%^^~:,
,,,,,:~^%#                                          #%^~:,,,,,
,,,,::~^££                                          ££^~::,,,,
,,,,:~^^^£         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         £^^^~:,,,,
,:~^^%%%%#         ^ 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.       @#¤$».¨¨¨¨
¨.¨,..~^%£                                          £%^~..,¨.¨
,,~:†@§@@#                                          #@@§@†:~,,
¨.,,,.,-*&                                          &*-,.,,,.¨
¨~«\$*&£¤£                                          £¤£&*$\«~¨
.:-;§%#@##                                          ##@#%§;-:.