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