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