...:»/&&&@                                          @&&&/»:...
.:»/†&&&@@                                          @@&&&†/»:.
.....»††&#                                          #&††».....
.:»/†&#@##                                          ##@#&†/»:.
.....»//&@                                          @&//».....
....»»»†##         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ##†»»»....
.:»/†&#@##         / 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,                   #&@*=-~~..
..,.,¨«-†¤                                          ¤†-«¨,.,..
..~*§$¤@##  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ##@¤$§*~..
.,.¨.~=$§#        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       #§$=~.¨.,.
,.,¨.~.†%£                                          £%†.~.¨,.,
¨..-=::$##                                          ##$::=-..¨
,.=\$*@@@#                                          #@@@*$\=.,
¨^-:§$§###                                          ###§$§:-^¨
,-~/%§#@¶#                                          #¶@#§%/~-,