,,,^~~%££@                                          @££%~~^,,,
,,,,,^~%$£                                          £$%~^,,,,,
,,,,~~~/$£                                          £$/~~~,,,,
^~/%$££@##                                          ##@££$%/~^
,^~/%$££@#                                          #@££$%/~^,
,,,,,,^/$£         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         £$/^,,,,,,
,,,,,~~/%£         / 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.       #&%:*,-.,,
.^==^&£@@#                                          #@@£&^==^.
¨.:,.»*%*§                                          §*%*».,:.¨
,-»;§$£@@@                                          @@@£$§;»-,
¨.»\%$¤###                                          ###¤$%\».¨
,,~:*$¤@##                                          ##@¤$*:~,,