.,~;%$&@##                                          ##@&$%;~,.
.,~;%$&@##                                          ##@&$%;~,.
.,~;%$&@##                                          ##@&$%;~,.
.,~;%$&@##                                          ##@&$%;~,.
.,~;%$&###                                          ###&$%;~,.
.,~;%$&@##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##@&$%;~,.
.....~%%%&         ; 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.        ##£#§%=»-.
,^»/$@@###                                          ###@@$/»^,
¨~~^$%&#&§                                          §&#&%$^~~¨
,:~=^%##@#                                          #@##%^=~:,
,..,^-*§%#                                          #%§*-^,..,
.¨:,-«§%@@                                          @@%§«-,:¨.