¨:-=*¤§###                                          ###§¤*=-:¨
¨:-=**¤¤¤#                                          #¤¤¤**=-:¨
¨¨:::=*¤¤§                                          §¤¤*=:::¨¨
¨:-=*¤§###                                          ###§¤*=-:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:-**§                                          §**-:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-*§         # -------------------- #         §*-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:-=*¤§###         = 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.       ###§*††=-.
.:«\*$§£##                                          ##£§$*\«:.
¨^~/^%$£@£                                          £@£$%^/~^¨
¨,,.,:~†@§                                          §@†~:,.,,¨
¨~=^%@@@##                                          ##@@@%^=~¨
.¨,¨-=*$££                                          ££$*=-¨,¨.