,,,^~\\%%£                                          £%%\\~^,,,
,^~\$%§£@#                                          #@£§%$\~^,
,^~\$%%%§@                                          @§%%%$\~^,
,,,,,,~$$§                                          §$$~,,,,,,
,,,^^~~\%£                                          £%\~~^^,,,
,^~\\\$$§@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @§$$\\\~^,
,^~\$%§£@#         \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \         #@£§%$\~^,
,^~\\$$%%§         \ 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.       &£:†»~.,¨¨
,,~†*$@@##                                          ##@@$*†~,,
¨-~^%%#£@#                                          #@£#%%^~-¨
,:»\%£¤£@#                                          #@£¤£%\»:,
¨:-*@@####                                          ####@@*-:¨
¨¨.^~/;$§£                                          £§$;/~^.¨¨