.....,~:¤#                                          #¤:~,.....
.,~:%¤¤¤##                                          ##¤¤¤%:~,.
.,~:%¤§###                                          ###§¤%:~,.
.,~:%¤§###                                          ###§¤%:~,.
....~::¤¤#                                          #¤¤::~....
....~::%¤§         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         §¤%::~....
.,~~:%%%¤§         : 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.       £¤§;.....¨
¨,.,=/%&£#                                          #£&%/=,.,¨
¨..¨¨,^~^£                                          £^~^,¨¨..¨
.^:~:~==§#                                          #§==~:~:^.
,-«^^£§###                                          ###§£^^«-,
,,,¨.¨«/§#                                          #§/«¨.¨,,,