.:«^$§£@##                                          ##@£§$^«:.
.:«^$§£@##                                          ##@£§$^«:.
.:«^$§£@##                                          ##@£§$^«:.
......:«$£                                          £$«:......
.:«^$$§£££                                          £££§$$^«:.
...«^^^$$£         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         £$$^^^«...
.:«^$§££@#         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         #@££§$^«:.
....:«^$§£         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         £§$^«:....
.:«^$§££@@         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         @@££§$^«:.
...:«««^$£         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         £$^«««:...
.:«^$§£@##         ^  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ^         ##@£§$^«:.
.:«^$$§§§@  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, @§§§$$^«:.
.:«^$§£@##  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ##@£§$^«:.
.:«^$§@###         ^        AT ALL...     ^         ###@§$^«:.
....«^^§@@         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         @@§^^«....
¨:~^$$¤###                                          ###¤$$^~:¨
¨.¨¨^.†$@#     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     #@$†.^¨¨.¨
,¨¨.«/†$@#   LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK,   #@$†/«.¨¨,
¨-~;%¤@£##  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,                   &&/,.~,,.,
..~;**@£¶#                                          #¶£@**;~..
¨-~†=$§£##  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ##£§$=†~-¨
,.¨.-**$&#       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        #&$**-.¨.,
,.,¨,^$£§#                                          #§£$^,¨,.,
.,..:«^%#@                                          @#%^«:..,.
¨¨¨¨~\§$££                                          ££$§\~¨¨¨¨
.,«~\*%%£¶                                          ¶£%%*\~«,.
.,»:*£#¤#@                                          @#¤#£*:»,.