,,,,~/$§§@                                          @§§$/~,,,,
,,~/^$§§§@                                          @§§§$^/~,,
,,,,,,,~^§                                          §^~,,,,,,,
,,~/^$§@@#                                          #@@§$^/~,,
,,~/^$§@@@                                          @@@§$^/~,,
,,~/^^^§@@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @@§^^^/~,,
,,~/^$§@@#         / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS /         #@@§$^/~,,
,,,,,,,~^§         / 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.        ###£%%^~,¨
,~~^*$§£@#                                          #@£§$*^~~,
¨.¨¨^-~%%@                                          @%%~-^¨¨.¨
,.-~~=*§*@                                          @*§*=~~-.,
¨:=;=%&@@#                                          #@@&%=;=:¨
¨,»=*§####                                          ####§*=»,¨