,,~/*¤§#@#                                          #@#§¤*/~,,
,,~/*¤§#@#                                          #@#§¤*/~,,
,,~/*¤§#@#                                          #@#§¤*/~,,
,,~/*¤§#@#                                          #@#§¤*/~,,
,,,,,~/¤##                                          ##¤/~,,,,,
,,~/*¤§##@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @##§¤*/~,,
,,~/*¤§###         / 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,                   @§$/^,..¨.
.-=**%@£##                                          ##£@%**=-.
.:~;†£####  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ####£†;~:.
..¨..¨¨=*@        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       @*=¨¨..¨..
..,.¨¨«-^#                                          #^-«¨¨.,..
,~-*$&#@##                                          ##@#&$*-~,
¨,-:\==%#£                                          £#%==\:-,¨
¨:~/†&§#@#                                          #@#§&†/~:¨
,,,.,«†@@@                                          @@@†«,.,,,