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