.~«;$§@###                                          ###@§$;«~.
.....~;§@@                                          @@§;~.....
.~«;$§####                                          ####§$;«~.
.~«««;$$@#                                          #@$$;«««~.
....«;§@##                                          ##@§;«....
.~«;§@####         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ####@§;«~.
.~«;$§@###         ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ;         ###@§$;«~.
.~«;$§@@##         ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ;         ##@@§$;«~.
.~«;$§@###         ;  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ;         ###@§$;«~.
.~«;$§@###         ;  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ;         ###@§$;«~.
.~«;$§@###         ;  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ;         ###@§$;«~.
.~«;$§@### COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  ###@§$;«~.
..~«;;§@##  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.        ###¤§=†-~¨
¨,¨^~,-\§&                                          &§\-,~^¨,¨
¨.-†*:=£#@                                          @#£=:*†-.¨
¨,~\^£#&&¶                                          ¶&&#£^\~,¨
,:=:†%¤###                                          ###¤%†:=:,
,~«»†/@*&£                                          £&*@/†»«~,