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