¤§*/,.....                                          .....,/*§¤
###¤§*/-,.                                          .,-/*§¤###
###¤§*/-,.                                          .,-/*§¤###
#§§*---...                                          ...---*§§#
###¤§*/-,.                                          .,-/*§¤###
¤¤¤¤§*/-,.         # -------------------- #         .,-/*§¤¤¤¤
#§*-......         / 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.       .~«/^£&¶##
##%§^^:~-,                                          ,-~:^^§%##
#@%:~~-,¨.                                          .¨,-~~:%@#
#§%\~,.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.,~\%§#
##@¤¤$/«-,                                          ,-«/$¤¤@##
¤£:^\.¨,.,                                          ,.,¨.\^:£¤