,~«:%$#@##                                          ##@#$%:«~,
,~«:%$#@##                                          ##@#$%:«~,
,~«:%$$###                                          ###$$%:«~,
,~«:%$#@##                                          ##@#$%:«~,
,,,,,«%$$#                                          #$$%«,,,,,
,~«:%%%$##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##$%%%:«~,
,~«:%#@###         : 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.       #¶@@§§†«~¨
¨,»^$$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$$^»,¨
.¨..,»§£¤#                                          #¤£§»,..¨.
,¨.¨»~†$§#                                          #§$†~»¨.¨,
.^~\=*##@#                                          #@##*=\~^.
..-:^*§£@#                                          #@£§*^:-..