....:::\@#                                          #@\:::....
..:~~%@@##                                          ##@@%~~:..
....:~%&##                                          ##&%~:....
.....~%&&#                                          #&&%~.....
....:~%&&#                                          #&&%~:....
.:~\%@&###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###&@%\~:.
....::~\@&         \ 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.       @#%;-,¨.¨.
¨.¨.-*%%@§                                          §@%%*-.¨.¨
¨,-:=%@###                                          ###@%=:-,¨
¨,.,~/%&@£                                          £@&%/~,.,¨
.¨¨.==%†$¤                                          ¤$†%==.¨¨.
.,~^=%####                                          ####%=^~,.