..,=/*£¤@#                                          #@¤£*/=,..
...,=/*£¤@                                          @¤£*/=,...
..,=/*£¤@#                                          #@¤£*/=,..
.,=/*£¤@##                                          ##@¤£*/=,.
..,=/*£¤@#                                          #@¤£*/=,..
...,=/*£¤@         # ==================== #         @¤£*/=,...
..,=/*£¤@#         / 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,                   #@¤@%/»-,¨
,,-*†%§@##                                          ##@§%†*-,,
¨.~«:%$£##  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ##£$%:«~.¨
¨.,,»/$%##       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ##%$/»,,.¨
,,.«/=$&##                                          ##&$=/«.,,
,-~=†%&@##                                          ##@&%†=~-,
¨¨-~:§%£##                                          ##£%§:~-¨¨
..¨.=*%&@@                                          @@&%*=.¨..
¨¨.»*=¤@##                                          ##@¤=*».¨¨