.^^^»*%%*£                                          £*%%*»^^^.
.^»*%*£@@#                                          #@@£*%*»^.
.....»»*%£                                          £%*»».....
.^»*%*£@@#                                          #@@£*%*»^.
.^»*%*£@##                                          ##@£*%*»^.
...»**%*££         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ££*%**»...
....^^»**@         * 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.        #@#¤£^;~-,
.^-:†§¤#¶£                                          £¶#¤§†:-^.
¨,-:%¤@#@#                                          #@#@¤%:-,¨
¨,«††$@&££                                          ££&@$††«,¨
,¨..~~-:$£                                          £$:-~~..¨,
¨^-/%%§#§@                                          @§#§%%/-^¨