....~-*$$#                                          #$$*-~....
...~-*$$#£                                          £#$$*-~...
..~-*$$#£#                                          #£#$$*-~..
.~-*$$#£##                                          ##£#$$*-~.
..~-*$$#£#                                          #£#$$*-~..
...~-*$$#£         # -------------------- #         £#$$*-~...
....~-*$$#         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         #$$*-~....
.....~-*$$         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         $$*-~.....
......~-*$         *  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. .   £=/~,¨,.¨¨
¨¨.,,=^%§@          -~ .  »~~ ,  -,  -~  ~          @§%^=,,.¨¨
¨,,,~=*£¤#    ~   ^,          :                ,    #¤£*=~,,,¨
,,.»;^%¤£#        .      ¨          ¨      $        #£¤%^;».,,
.^=\$¤@£##                                          ##£@¤$\=^.
..~«;*@£##                   ¨#¨                    ##£@*;«~..
¨¨.:»*%@##                                          ##@%*»:.¨¨
,,¨.^~*=§£                   AND,                   £§=*~^.¨,,
...,¨^-;*¤                                          ¤*;-^¨,...
.,¨¨,,,=*§  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  §*=,,,¨¨,.
¨¨...,~*%%        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       %%*~,...¨¨
.¨,¨.~*$§£                                          £§$*~.¨,¨.
¨,.,«*=%#£                                          £#%=*«,.,¨
..:~^%£§##                                          ##§£%^~:..
¨,=/*£¤@##                                          ##@¤£*/=,¨
,¨-==^£@##                                          ##@£^==-¨,