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