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