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