.,~†%&¤£@#                                          #@£¤&%†~,.
..,~†%&¤£@                                          @£¤&%†~,..
.,~†%&¤£@#                                          #@£¤&%†~,.
..,~†%&¤£@                                          @£¤&%†~,..
.,~†%&¤£@#                                          #@£¤&%†~,.
..,~†%&¤£@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @£¤&%†~,..
.,~†%&¤£@#         † 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.  #@#¤%$†=,¨
,,-=\%*£#@       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        @#£*%\=-,,
¨:~;%¤####                                          ####¤%;~:¨
,.:»†^$£¶#                                          #¶£$^†»:.,
.,~\%§@@##                                          ##@@§%\~,.
,¨^~=%§§##                                          ##§§%=~^¨,
.^=†*§@@##                                          ##@@§*†=^.