,,=/$£####                                          ####£$/=,,
,,,,=$$£#@                                          @#£$$=,,,,
,,=/$£##@#                                          #@##£$/=,,
,,,,,=$£#@                                          @#£$=,,,,,
,,,,,,//£#                                          #£//,,,,,,
,,=/$£##@#         # ==================== #         #@##£$/=,,
,,=/$£####         / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS /         ####£$/=,,
,,=/$£##@#         / IN A STALE TIMELINE, /         #@##£$/=,,
,,,==/$$£#         /  BRANCHED WAY BACK   /         #£$$/==,,,
,,=/$£##@#         /  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  /         #@##£$/=,,
,,,===/$##         /  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  /         ##$/===,,,
,,=/$£##@# COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  #@##£$/=,,
,,,,,==$##  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ##$==,,,,,
,,,,,,,=$#         /        AT ALL...     /         #$=,,,,,,,
,,,=//$$$#         # ==================== #         #$$$//=,,,
...,~†^%§£                                          £§%^†~,...
,¨,¨,¨~%@#     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.        ##£&$^†«-,
,-~=*£#@##                                          ##@#£*=~-,
.~~†*¤¤###                                          ###¤¤*†~~.
,..,»=*%@@                                          @@%*=»,..,
,^=*=£§@##                                          ##@§£=*=^,
,.~†§§&###                                          ###&§§†~.,