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