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