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