.-«=*§¤@@#                                          #@@¤§*=«-.
...---««*¤                                          ¤*««---...
.-«=*§¤¤¤@                                          @¤¤¤§*=«-.
.-«=*§¤@##                                          ##@¤§*=«-.
.......«*¤                                          ¤*«.......
....-«**§@         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         @§**«-....
...--==§@@         = 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,                   @#¶@$^/=,.
¨,¨,,=/*£&                                          &£*/=,,¨,¨
..¨=»==%##  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ##%==»=¨..
..~=*%#&@#       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        #@&#%*=~..
..,.,~=^^¤                                          ¤^^=~,.,..
,-~\%£#£@#                                          #@£#£%\~-,
¨¨¨¨.,«%£¤                                          ¤£%«,.¨¨¨¨
,~»=†#¶###                                          ###¶#†=»~,
,,~:=$@@##                                          ##@@$=:~,,