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