....~;$$§@                                          @§$$;~....
.,~;*$§@##                                          ##@§$*;~,.
....,;$§@@                                          @@§$;,....
.......~*§                                          §*~.......
......~*$@                                          @$*~......
.,~;*$§@##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##@§$*;~,.
.,,,,;$§@@         ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ;         @@§$;,,,,.
.,~;*$§@@#         ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ;         #@@§$*;~,.
.,~;*$§@##         ;  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ;         ##@§$*;~,.
.,,,~~~;*§         ;  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.       £¶§^-».,,.
¨.~\*%#£##                                          ##£#%*\~.¨
¨,...=*%#&                                          &#%*=...,¨
,^--~^^§##                                          ##§^^~--^,
,..,/:**¤#                                          #¤**:/,..,
,,.¨,-§¤##                                          ##¤§-,¨.,,