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