.-~††$§¶##                                          ##¶§$††~-.
..-~††$§¶#                                          #¶§$††~-..
...-~††$§¶                                          ¶§$††~-...
....-~††$§                                          §$††~-....
.....-~††$                                          $††~-.....
....-~††$§         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         §$††~-....
...-~††$§¶         † 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.       ¤$%†-,¨¨¨.
...,=\*%#@                                          @#%*\=,...
¨.-=^§%&@#                                          #@&%§^=-.¨
,.«:$@§£##                                          ##£§@$:«.,
,¨.~/*£#¶#                                          #¶#£*/~.¨,
.,.,==*%@¶                                          ¶@%*==,.,.