,,~~^§§§%&                                          &%§§§^~~,,
,~~^^^§§§&                                          &§§§^^^~~,
,~~^§%&#@@                                          @@#&%§^~~,
,~~^§%&#@@                                          @@#&%§^~~,
,,,,~^%&&&                                          &&&%^~,,,,
,,,,,,~~§&         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         &§~~,,,,,,
,~~^§%&#@#         ^ 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.       ##¶@¤=\~,.
.~~:$£&#@#                                          #@#&£$:~~.
,«;%§¤@###                                          ###@¤§%;«,
,:==%$§¶##                                          ##¶§$%==:,
,.»†=%§@##                                          ##@§%=†».,
,.¨-^$$%&¤                                          ¤&%$$^-¨.,