.~~*=$&###                                          ###&$=*~~.
..~~~~~~=&                                          &=~~~~~~..
.~~*=$####                                          ####$=*~~.
.~~*=$&###                                          ###&$=*~~.
...~~=$$$#                                          #$$$=~~...
.~~=$&####         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ####&$=~~.
.~~*=$$$&#         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         #&$$$=*~~.
.~~*=$&###         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         ###&$=*~~.
.~~~~~*$##         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         ##$*~~~~~.
.......~=&         *  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.       #¶§%**-.¨.
.¨,=»%*#§£                                          £§#*%»=,¨.
.¨,.-«*=@&                                          &@=*«-.,¨.
¨,.,¨-~†@&                                          &@†~-¨,.,¨
,..^,,*$££                                          ££$*,,^..,
¨.¨~~~†§#@                                          @#§†~~~¨.¨