........,=                                          =,........
.........,                                          ,.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........         # ==================== #         ..........
..........         \ 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.        ,,..,.,¨¨,
.¨¨.,¨¨,..                                          ..,¨¨,.¨¨.
.¨,.¨,¨...                                          ...¨,¨.,¨.
.¨,,¨.¨,,.                                          .,,¨.¨,,¨.
...¨..,.,,                                          ,,.,..¨...
,¨.,...,:«                                          «:,...,.¨,