.--^§&@@@#                                          #@@@&§^--.
....-^^^&@                                          @&^^^-....
.....-^^&@                                          @&^^-.....
.--^^§§§&@                                          @&§§§^^--.
.--^§&@@@@                                          @@@@&§^--.
.--^§&@@@#         # -------------------- #         #@@@&§^--.
....---^§@         ^ 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.       ###@$†*~-¨
.--:=£#@@#                                          #@@#£=:--.
¨:=:§£$$¶£                                          £¶$$£§:=:¨
.¨,,.-:§§@                                          @§§:-.,,¨.
¨,¨¨,~,**£                                          £**,~,¨¨,¨
,-~;*£¤£#¶                                          ¶#£¤£*;~-,