,-~\$$£§§§                                          §§§£$$\~-,
,-\$£§£###                                          ###£§£$\-,
,-~\$£§£##                                          ##£§£$\~-,
,,,,,,~~$§                                          §$~~,,,,,,
,-~\$£§£##                                          ##£§£$\~-,
,,,-~\$§§#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #§§$\~-,,,
,-~\$£§£##         \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \         ##£§£$\~-,
,-~\$$££§£         \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \         £§££$$\~-,
,,,,--\££§         \  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.       #@¶¤&^;«~¨
,,¨,.¨.=*&                                          &*=.¨.,¨,,
.^~^$@&@@@                                          @@@&@$^~^.
¨-~*†@§£@#                                          #@£§@†*~-¨
..=/%££#@#                                          #@#££%/=..
,,.,,«$=££                                          ££=$«,,.,,