...^»;%$£#                                          #£$%;»^...
....^»;%$£                                          £$%;»^....
.....^»;%$                                          $%;»^.....
......^»;%                                          %;»^......
.......^»;                                          ;»^.......
......^»;%         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         %;»^......
.....^»;%$         ; 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.       ##§£%:«^.¨
.:=:^¤£###                                          ###£¤^:=:.
¨¨~=\§%#@#                                          #@#%§\=~¨¨
.,¨-~==$£#                                          #£$==~-¨,.
¨.¨..=†*$§                                          §$*†=..¨.¨
.¨..¨,»†%%                                          %%†»,¨..¨.