...^^««/£#                                          #£/««^^...
.....«/£@@                                          @@£/«.....
.^«/†£#@##                                          ##@#£†/«^.
.^«/†#@###                                          ###@#†/«^.
.^«/†#@###                                          ###@#†/«^.
.^«/†£#@##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##@#£†/«^.
.^«/†£#@##         / 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.       ####¤§†~,,
.,~=§£@###                                          ###@£§=~,.
.^»/^£#¶#@                                          @#¶#£^/»^.
,,~/*£#@@#                                          #@@#£*/~,,
.^=:§$#@##                                          ##@#$§:=^.
.:=\$*¤###                                          ###¤*$\=:.