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