.:«;^$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$^;«:.
.....:««^¤                                          ¤^««:.....
......«^¤@                                          @¤^«......
.....:«^¤@                                          @¤^«:.....
.:«;^$¤@##                                          ##@¤$^;«:.
.:;^$¤#@##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##@#¤$^;:.
.:«;^$¤#@#         ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ;         #@#¤$^;«:.
.....:;$##         ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ;         ##$;:.....
.:«;^$¤@##         ;  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ;         ##@¤$^;«:.
.:«;^$¤#@@         ;  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ;         @@#¤$^;«:.
.:«;^$¤###         ;  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ;         ###¤$^;«:.
.:«;^$¤### COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  ###¤$^;«:.
.:«;^$¤#@@  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  @@#¤$^;«:.
.:«;^$¤#@@         ;        AT ALL...     ;         @@#¤$^;«:.
.:«;^$¤#@@         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         @@#¤$^;«:.
,..,¨»/*££                                          ££*/»¨,..,
.,,-,=\*%#     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.  #&£/^¨¨,¨.
,~«\^$¤¶##       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ##¶¤$^\«~,
¨.¨,.\&$¤@                                          @¤$&\.,¨.¨
.^~:=£#@##                                          ##@#£=:~^.
,,-/^§§@¶#                                          #¶@§§^/-,,
,,.~**%*##                                          ##*%**~.,,
,^-**&@#@#                                          #@#@&**-^,