......//$£                                          £$//......
....~%%$##                                          ##$%%~....
..~/%$£###                                          ###£$%/~..
..~/%$£###                                          ###£$%/~..
..~/%$£###                                          ###£$%/~..
..~/%$£###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###£$%/~..
..~/%%$$$#         / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS /         #$$$%%/~..
....~/%£##         / 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#     ###&¤**~.¨
¨¨¨:\:$#£#  #*OF£¤EXACTLY§@HOW&THEY@HAD&TRAVELED,$# #£#$:\:¨¨¨
.,~=»~;^@#  #¤OF¤THE@WAY#HOME#@TO¶THE#TIME#FROM£¶   #@^;~»=~,.
,^~/*£@###   #¶WHERE#THEY@CAME,###@##@AND#THEN###@  ###@£*/~^,
.~«/^£&¶##   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE*«   ##¶&£^/«~.
,,~^*&¤@##   «=BEING ~ STOLEN ~~ FROM ~~« THEM. ¨   ##@¤&*^~,,
,--^=¤¤¶@@          ~~ ,  ~»~ .  -.  ^-  ~          @@¶¤¤=^--,
.-~†§@&@##    ,   ,,          ,                ,    ##@&@§†~-.
¨^»=$*£@¶@        ,      ,          ¨      $        @¶@£*$=»^¨
,,~\%*§#@#                                          #@#§*%\~,,
¨,¨~=*££&@                   ¨#¨                    @&££*=~¨,¨
.:-:*£####                                          ####£*:-:.
,¨,--»^£§@                   AND,                   @§£^»--,¨,
.¨¨¨.^^**@                                          @**^^.¨¨¨.
¨¨..¨»†*£¶  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¶£*†»¨..¨¨
.,-\§@£###       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ###£@§\-,.
¨¨,¨..^$¶#                                          #¶$^..¨,¨¨
¨,«;%¤#&&#                                          #&&#¤%;«,¨
.^=†**¤###                                          ###¤**†=^.
,,¨.,»»§§#                                          #§§»»,.¨,,
¨.»†*@§###                                          ###§@*†».¨