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