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