..,«††¤¤@@                                          @@¤¤††«,..
...,«††¤¤@                                          @¤¤††«,...
....,«††¤¤                                          ¤¤††«,....
.....,«††¤                                          ¤††«,.....
......,«††                                          ††«,......
.......,«†         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         †«,.......
........,«         † 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.        \~,¨¨¨,,.,
..¨.¨,..-=                                          =-..,¨.¨..
¨,¨¨..,...                                          ...,..¨¨,¨
.,¨¨¨,.¨,=                                          =,¨.,¨¨¨,.
¨..¨,,¨-=\                                          \=-¨,,¨..¨
,¨,¨¨.^~/%                                          %/~^.¨¨,¨,