.,-^*$¤@##                                          ##@¤$*^-,.
.,-^*$¤¤@#                                          #@¤¤$*^-,.
.,-^*$¤@##                                          ##@¤$*^-,.
....,-*$$¤                                          ¤$$*-,....
.,-^*$¤@@@                                          @@@¤$*^-,.
.,,-^**¤@#         # -------------------- #         #@¤**^-,,.
...--^*$¤#         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         #¤$*^--...
.,-^*$¤@##         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         ##@¤$*^-,.
.,-^*$¤@##         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         ##@¤$*^-,.
.,,,^^*$¤#         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         #¤$*^^,,,.
.,-^*$¤@@@         ^  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ^         @@@¤$*^-,.
.,-^*$¤@##  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ##@¤$*^-,.
....,^^*$@  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  @$*^^,....
....,^^$@#         ^        AT ALL...     ^         #@$^^,....
....,^*¤¤¤         # -------------------- #         ¤¤¤*^,....
.¨..^,-;%#                                          #%;-,^..¨.
..~/*§^$##     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     ##$^§*/~..
¨,=^†$¤#@#   LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK,   #@#¤$†^=,¨
,~«†%££###  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.       ###@¤§==..
¨,~*^%¤###                                          ###¤%^*~,¨
¨..,~-~»$@                                          @$»~-~,..¨
¨~~/%£§#@#                                          #@#§£%/~~¨
¨,=\%¤#@##                                          ##@#¤%\=,¨
¨,~:%£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£%:~,¨