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