.,»»»†††&&                                          &&†††»»»,.
.,»^†$&&££                                          ££&&$†^»,.
.,»^†$&£@#                                          #@£&$†^»,.
....,^†$&£                                          £&$†^,....
.,»^†$&£@#                                          #@£&$†^»,.
,»^†$&£@##         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ##@£&$†^»,
.....,^$&@         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         @&$^,.....
...,^†$$&£         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         £&$$†^,...
...,,»»†$£         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         £$†»»,,...
.,»^†$&£@#         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         #@£&$†^»,.
.,»^†$&£@#         ^  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ^         #@£&$†^»,.
.,»^†$&£@#  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, #@£&$†^»,.
.,»^†$&£@@  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  @@£&$†^»,.
.,»^$&£@##         ^        AT ALL...     ^         ##@£&$^»,.
.,»^†$&@##         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ##@&$†^»,.
¨,~\^@&@##                                          ##@&@^\~,¨
¨=;^§#@###     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.       ¤§~,,¨¨,..
,...,~††##                                          ##††~,...,
.^:»~:=$¤#                                          #¤$=:~»:^.
¨-~†*§#¶@#                                          #@¶#§*†~-¨
¨^-/†^††§&                                          &§††^†/-^¨
¨^~:=§§¶##                                          ##¶§§=:~^¨