,^~**@@###                                          ###@@**~^,
,,,,~~**£@                                          @£**~~,,,,
,^~**@£@##                                          ##@£@**~^,
,^~**@£@##                                          ##@£@**~^,
,^~**@£@##                                          ##@£@**~^,
,^~~~*@@@@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @@@@*~~~^,
,^~**@£@##         * 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,$#  #@#&*%:=.,
,..,,=/*%£  #§OF§THE@WAY£HOME##TO@THE#TIME@FROM##   £%*/=,,..,
....,:-^#@  #£WHERE#THEY#CAME,@@@@@##AND#THEN@#@#   @#^-:,....
¨^~†%*#@##   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS^KNOWLEDGE*«   ##@#*%†~^¨
..«^/=*¤%¶   ~«BEING « STOLEN »~ FROM «-« THEM. ,   ¶%¤*=/^«..
¨~-†§†*§%¶          ~= ,  ~«- ,  «.  ,«  -          ¶%§*†§†-~¨
¨.~=§%@¶##    ^   ,:          ,                ,    ##¶@%§=~.¨
.~=*†#£###        ,      ,          .      †        ###£#†*=~.
,,..¨¨»*@#                                          #@*»¨¨..,,
.^»\=%@@##                    ¨#.                   ##@@%=\»^.
,~~†*££&@@                                          @@&££*†~~,
¨-~\§£§###                   AND,                   ###§£§\~-¨
,,,¨¨,†*¤£                                          £¤*†,¨¨,,,
,-«**¤§@##  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ##@§¤**«-,
,^«^%#£@##       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ##@£#%^«^,
¨^=/$**£@£                                          £@£**$/=^¨
,^=*†$¤£@#                                          #@£¤$†*=^,
.:~/*%@#@#                                          #@#@%*/~:.
¨.¨¨.,,«*¤                                          ¤*«,,.¨¨.¨
¨,,¨,»~%£@                                          @£%~»,¨,,¨