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