.:~:%£§@##                                          ##@§£%:~:.
..:~:%£§@#                                          #@§£%:~:..
...:~:%£§@                                          @§£%:~:...
....:~:%£§                                          §£%:~:....
...:~:%£§@                                          @§£%:~:...
..:~:%£§@#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #@§£%:~:..
.:~:%£§@##         : 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.        ¤%§*«-..¨¨
,¨,,-:*$§#                                          #§$*:-,,¨,
.¨.«*%¤&##                                          ##&¤%*«.¨.
¨.~†*§&###                                          ###&§*†~.¨
.¨,-/%§###                                          ###§%/-,¨.
,¨¨,~*§§¤#                                          #¤§§*~,¨¨,