.~~/%§£#@#                                          #@#£§%/~~.
.~~/%§£#@#                                          #@#£§%/~~.
.....~//%£                                          £%//~.....
....~%§£££                                          £££§%~....
.~~/%§£#@#                                          #@#£§%/~~.
.~~/%§£@##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##@£§%/~~.
...~~~%%%£         / 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.        ##@§*§*-^,
,,-\%%&¶##                                          ##¶&%%\-,,
¨:~/=¤#£@#                                          #@£#¤=/~:¨
..~«~-:£@¶                                          ¶@£:-~«~..
,..«=~«%§£                                          £§%«~=«..,
.,~/§¤&¶##                                          ##¶&¤§/~,.