,,=\*%£@@@                                          @@@£%*\=,,
,,=\*%£@##                                          ##@£%*\=,,
,,=\*%£@@@                                          @@@£%*\=,,
,,=\*%£@##                                          ##@£%*\=,,
,,=\*%££@#                                          #@££%*\=,,
,,=\*%£@##         # ==================== #         ##@£%*\=,,
,,=\*%£@##         \ 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.  ###£&*=-.¨
.,=\*$£@##        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ##@£$*\=,.
¨,=†/\*$$@                                          @$$*\/†=,¨
¨,-\=£@¶##                                          ##¶@£=\-,¨
¨..,-«~/££                                          ££/~«-,..¨
.,~†$&§@##                                          ##@§&$†~,.
..==^$¤£##                                          ##£¤$^==..