.,«**$¤##@                                          @##¤$**«,.
.,«**$¤¤##                                          ##¤¤$**«,.
.,«**$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$**«,.
.,«**$¤###                                          ###¤$**«,.
.,«**$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$**«,.
.,«**$¤#@#         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         #@#¤$**«,.
.,«**$¤#@@         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         @@#¤$**«,.
.,«**$¤#@@         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         @@#¤$**«,.
....««*¤¤¤         *  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###@   ####$§*-.,
.^-\§%#¶@@   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS=KNOWLEDGE/-   @@¶#%§\-^.
¨¨,¨.»*^@#   «~BEING ~ STOLEN ~» FROM »~« THEM. ,   #@^*».¨,¨¨
,,«~/*%#@@          ~~ ,  =»« .  ».  ^»  »          @@#%*/~«,,
¨:»†§$#@£@    -   .,          ~                ¨    @£@#$§†»:¨
,^=^^$§£@@        ¨      ¨          ,      $        @@£§$^^=^,
,,,,.-=**§                                          §**=-.,,,,
,..¨,./£¤#                   .#,                    #¤£/.,¨..,
.:~^%£§###                                          ###§£%^~:.
,¨¨¨-*%§@@                   AND,                   @@§%*-¨¨¨,
¨,~*§@@###                                          ###@@§*~,¨
¨,,.,«=/%#  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  #%/=«,.,,¨
.,~^%£@@##       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ##@@£%^~,.
^~/=%&####                                          ####&%=/~^
.:-=^††^&£                                          £&^††^=-:.
¨.«**$¤@##                                          ##@¤$**«.¨
¨~~/$£@###                                          ###@£$/~~¨
...,.=**£@                                          @£**=.,...