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