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