.:~^^%####                                          ####%^^~:.
......:~^#                                          #^~:......
.....:^%##                                          ##%^:.....
.:~^^%####                                          ####%^^~:.
.:~~^^^%%#                                          #%%^^^~~:.
.:~^^%####         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ####%^^~:.
.:~^^%####         ^ 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.       #@*:*~.,,.
.-~\†$&###                                          ###&$†\~-.
,~~==@#¶##                                          ##¶#@==~~,
...,,,~~=£                                          £=~~,,,...
¨^~:=£&@@#                                          #@@&£=:~^¨
¨.~††£££@#                                          #@£££††~.¨