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