.-~:*%¤@##                                          ##@¤%*:~-.
...~~***¤@                                          @¤***~~...
.-~:*%¤£@#                                          #@£¤%*:~-.
..-~~~*%£@                                          @£%*~~~-..
.-~::::*¤£                                          £¤*::::~-.
...~~:::%¤         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¤%:::~~...
.-~:*%¤£@#         : 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,                   ¤¤:=,,.¨¨,
¨~«=*$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$*=«~¨
¨,,-.~=$##  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ##$=~.-,,¨
¨.~=$%¤@##        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ##@¤%$=~.¨
.¨.¨,¨,-%&                                          &%-,¨,¨.¨.
,..,¨,^†@#                                          #@†^,¨,..,
¨,¨¨:*†=##                                          ##=†*:¨¨,¨
¨-~:^%§¶##                                          ##¶§%^:~-¨
.^«\†§%&£#                                          #£&%§†\«^.