..=†*¤&###                                          ###&¤*†=..
...=†*¤&##                                          ##&¤*†=...
....=†*¤&#                                          #&¤*†=....
.....=†*¤&                                          &¤*†=.....
......=†*¤                                          ¤*†=......
.......=†*         # ==================== #         *†=.......
........=†         † 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.        .,.,.¨,.,.
¨.,,,.¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨.,,,.¨
¨,¨,.¨¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨¨.,¨,¨
.,¨.,.¨¨¨^                                          ^¨¨¨.,.¨,.
.,¨,¨,,.~~                                          ~~.,,¨,¨,.
..,..,,^~*                                          *~^,,..,..