.:~/**£&&@                                          @&&£**/~:.
.:~/*£&@##                                          ##@&£*/~:.
.:~/*£&###                                          ###&£*/~:.
.:~/*£&@@@                                          @@@&£*/~:.
.:~/*£&@##                                          ##@&£*/~:.
.:~///*&&@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @&&*///~:.
.:~/*£&@@@         / 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.  #§$^:~^^,¨
.~--«^*&£¶        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¶£&*^«--~.
,,¨,,^;$¶#                                          #¶$;^,,¨,,
¨:«=§$£###                                          ###£$§=«:¨
,.~,,\&§$&                                          &$§&\,,~.,
,,»*%£§###                                          ###§£%*»,,
.^~*%$#@##                                          ##@#$%*~^.