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