...:~:$§£@                                          @£§$:~:...
....:~:$§£                                          £§$:~:....
.....:~:$§                                          §$:~:.....
....:~:$§£                                          £§$:~:....
...:~:$§£@                                          @£§$:~:...
..:~:$§£@@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @@£§$:~:..
.:~:$§£@@#         : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS :         #@@£§$:~:.
..:~:$§£@@         : IN A STALE TIMELINE, :         @@£§$:~:..
...:~:$§£@         :  BRANCHED WAY BACK   :         @£§$:~:...
....:~:$§£         :  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  :         £§$:~:....
.....:~:$§         :  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  :         §$:~:.....
....:~:$§£  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, £§$:~:....
...:~:$§£@  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  @£§$:~:...
..:~:$§£@@         :        AT ALL...     :         @@£§$:~:..
.:~:$§£@@#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #@@£§$:~:.
,.^~;§$#@#                                          #@#$§;~^.,
.¨¨--/$$@£     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     £@$$/--¨¨.
¨¨¨.:-:†@@   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.  ##$$\-,¨,.
.,--;*%@##        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ##@%*;--,.
.,~:*$£#@#                                          #@#£$*:~,.
,.-~;$%@@#                                          #@@%$;~-.,
,¨.,-^§£¤@                                          @¤£§^-,.¨,
..,¨-«††@¤                                          ¤@††«-¨,..
¨¨¨.,.-:$$                                          $$:-.,.¨¨¨