..,«†%£@@#                                          #@@£%†«,..
.,«†%£@@##                                          ##@@£%†«,.
..,«†%£@@#                                          #@@£%†«,..
...,«†%£@@                                          @@£%†«,...
....,«†%£@                                          @£%†«,....
.....,«†%£         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         £%†«,.....
......,«†%         † 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.        @#£**~,¨,,
¨.,=^†§£##                                          ##£§†^=,.¨
.^»\†&¶###                                          ###¶&†\»^.
¨,,-;†£@##                                          ##@£†;-,,¨
..¨,~;%#@#                                          #@#%;~,¨..
¨.,¨:=^§¤£                                          £¤§^=:¨,.¨