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