.....,^%££                                          ££%^,.....
.,~^%%£@@#                                          #@@£%%^~,.
.,~^%%£@@#                                          #@@£%%^~,.
.,~^%%£@@#                                          #@@£%%^~,.
......,^%£                                          £%^,......
.,~^%%£@@@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @@@£%%^~,.
.,~^^^%%£@         ^ 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.       @§@/*^.,:,
¨,....~=@@                                          @@=~....,¨
.^~†%§@##@                                          @##@§%†~^.
..=**@§@##                                          ##@§@**=..
.,~;^*§¤@@                                          @@¤§*^;~,.
.~»-:=†@@@                                          @@@†=:-»~.