...,~:%@¤#                                          #¤@%:~,...
....,~:%@¤                                          ¤@%:~,....
.....,~:%@                                          @%:~,.....
......,~:%                                          %:~,......
.......,~:                                          :~,.......
........,~         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ~,........
.........,         : 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.        %:~.....¨,
.,,,,¨,:-:                                          :-:,¨,,,,.
.,..,.¨,,«                                          «,,¨.,..,.
....¨.¨.,^                                          ^,.¨.¨....
.,¨.¨,¨,,.                                          .,,¨,¨.¨,.
.¨¨,¨..¨¨,                                          ,¨¨..¨,¨¨.