,,~;*%§£##                                          ##£§%*;~,,
,,,,~;;;%§                                          §%;;;~,,,,
,,~;*%§£##                                          ##£§%*;~,,
,,~;*%%%£#                                          #£%%%*;~,,
,,~;;*%§§§                                          §§§%*;;~,,
,,~;*%§£##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##£§%*;~,,
,,~;*%§###         ; 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.  #@##£=†=,,
.^-†$&##@#        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       #@##&$†-^.
¨^«:§*#£¶@                                          @¶£#*§:«^¨
¨,~=%%£¶##                                          ##¶£%%=~,¨
¨,¨.~=%&#@                                          @#&%=~.¨,¨
¨.»\$££###                                          ###££$\».¨
¨¨.--**$#£                                          £#$**--.¨¨