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