.~~/§£#@@@                                          @@@#£§/~~.
.~~/§£#@@#                                          #@@#£§/~~.
.....~~§§#                                          #§§~~.....
.~~/§£##@@                                          @@##£§/~~.
......~§£#                                          #£§~......
.~~/§£#@@#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #@@#£§/~~.
.~~/§£#@@@         / 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,£#  ##¶§$^:~,,
¨~~~*:=%§#  #&OF#THE#WAY£HOME#@TO¶THE£TIME¶FROM¶@   #§%=:*~~~¨
.:=/*%#§¤@   #£WHERE@THEY@CAME,@#@##@#AND#THEN@###  @¤§#%*/=:.
¨.-^-=%@##   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS^KNOWLEDGE\«   ##@%=-^-.¨
.,¨...,†%£   ~~BEING ~ STOLEN =~ FROM »~~ THEM. ,   £%†,...¨,.
,~»;^§£###          »~ .  »»« ,  =,  ,~  ~          ###£§^;»~,
.-»:*£§£@#    ^   ~,          :                .    #@£§£*:»-.
¨,,,,=^=§@        ,      ,          ¨      %        @§=^=,,,,¨
,¨,.^~$&£#                                          #£&$~^.,¨,
.,,¨,-*†§¤                    ¨#¨                   ¤§†*-,¨,,.
.^-=*¤¤¶#@                                          @#¶¤¤*=-^.
.,=†*£@¶@#                   AND,                   #@¶@£*†=,.
.-~:=%#@##                                          ##@#%=:~-.
.:»»«=»«§@  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  @§«»=«»»:.
.,«:†@#@##        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ##@#@†:«,.
,^«/*$£@¶¶                                          ¶¶@£$*/«^,
.¨,.¨¨.»%@                                          @%».¨¨.,¨.
¨..~-~:§*§                                          §*§:~-~..¨
,»/*%££###                                          ###££%*/»,
,.,..«»^$¤                                          ¤$^»«..,.,