....,»*^%£                                          £%^*»,....
...,»*^%£#                                          #£%^*»,...
..,»*^%£##                                          ##£%^*»,..
.,»*^%£###                                          ###£%^*»,.
..,»*^%£##                                          ##£%^*»,..
...,»*^%£#         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         #£%^*»,...
....,»*^%£         * 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.        @^;«:.¨,¨,
¨¨,¨,«\*%¶                                          ¶%*\«,¨,¨¨
.,.,«*§%@#                                          #@%§*«,.,.
,..-;§$#@#                                          #@#$§;-..,
,.-†%$@###                                          ###@$%†-.,
...~\†*@##                                          ##@*†\~...