....-~†^¤¤                                          ¤¤^†~-....
.....-~†^¤                                          ¤^†~-.....
......-~†^                                          ^†~-......
.......-~†                                          †~-.......
........-~                                          ~-........
.......-~†         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         †~-.......
......-~†^         † 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.       #§%%\~,,,.
,..¨:~††&@                                          @&††~:¨..,
¨¨,,,:»^=¤                                          ¤=^»:,,,¨¨
,,.,,¨~~=$                                          $=~~¨,,.,,
..,¨¨.,~-;                                          ;-~,.¨¨,..
.,...,¨,:-                                          -:,¨,...,.