.:~†*$@###                                          ###@$*†~:.
..:~†*$@##                                          ##@$*†~:..
...:~†*$@#                                          #@$*†~:...
....:~†*$@                                          @$*†~:....
.....:~†*$                                          $*†~:.....
......:~†*         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         *†~:......
.......:~†         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         †~:.......
......:~†*         † IN A STALE TIMELINE, †         *†~:......
.....:~†*$         †  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.        &$=^~~..,¨
,.,.~\%%§#                                          #§%%\~.,.,
.,.-**%¤##                                          ##¤%**-.,.
¨~=^%@&###                                          ###&@%^=~¨
,,^»\§£@@#                                          #@@£§\»^,,
...,~*%$¤@                                          @¤$%*~,...