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