.~-;%§§¶##                                          ##¶§§%;-~.
..~-;%§§¶#                                          #¶§§%;-~..
...~-;%§§¶                                          ¶§§%;-~...
....~-;%§§                                          §§%;-~....
.....~-;%§                                          §%;-~.....
......~-;%         # -------------------- #         %;-~......
.......~-;         ; 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.       ¨..¨¨,.¨.,
,,,.,.¨..,                                          ,..¨.,.,,,
¨,¨..¨¨,.=                                          =.,¨¨..¨,¨
¨,..,.¨.«*                                          *«.¨.,..,¨
¨¨¨,,,.«^%                                          %^«.,,,¨¨¨
,...,^-:*%                                          %*:-^,...,