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