...~=*&§##                                          ##§&*=~...
....~=*&§#                                          #§&*=~....
.....~=*&§                                          §&*=~.....
....~=*&§#                                          #§&*=~....
...~=*&§##                                          ##§&*=~...
..~=*&§###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###§&*=~..
...~=*&§##         = 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%   ###££^†-,¨
,¨,~**£¤##     $$%BRIGHT=-§*A*SUDDEN*%AWARENESS#    ##¤£**~,¨,
,¨¨,~/†$§@  #$OF£#EXACTLY¤#HOW@THEY#HAD#TRAVELED,%# @§$†/~,¨¨,
¨.¨¨~~\*%#  #¤OF£THE£WAY@HOME#£TO#THE#TIME@FROM##   #%*\~~¨¨.¨
,¨,~~;%*¤@   #£WHERE@THEY#CAME,@#@@##@AND#THEN####  @¤*%;~~,¨,
.,-=;†%£@#   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE*»   #@£%†;=-,.
.:=^**¤###   «=BEING = STOLEN ~» FROM ~~~ THEM. .   ###¤**^=:.
,.^=\*$¤##          -» .  ~~~ ¨  ».  ^»  =          ##¤$*\=^.,
¨,,-~;$£¤#    ,   ,,          .                ¨    #¤£$;~-,,¨
¨,¨¨,»*§$@        ¨      .          ¨      %        @$§*»,¨¨,¨
..,.-=%&&@                                          @&&%=-.,..
,¨~~=%£@##                   ¨#.                    ##@£%=~~¨,
¨:»/*%£@##                                          ##@£%*/»:¨
¨¨:~:*&¤##                   AND,                   ##¤&*:~:¨¨
.¨¨,==*§§#                                          #§§*==,¨¨.
¨¨.,^~:^¤¤  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¤¤^:~^,.¨¨
,..:»:*$##       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ##$*:»:..,
,¨,-/*@&@#                                          #@&@*/-,¨,
¨:=††$&###                                          ###&$††=:¨
...«=$$@@#                                          #@@$$=«...
,¨,^-:%¤&@                                          @&¤%:-^,¨,
¨.,.,==%$#                                          #$%==,.,.¨