...,»^†%£#                                          #£%†^»,...
....,»^†%£                                          £%†^»,....
.....,»^†%                                          %†^»,.....
......,»^†                                          †^»,......
.......,»^                                          ^»,.......
........,»         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         »,........
.........,         ^ 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.        §†-,,,.¨,¨
¨...¨.¨-«\                                          \«-¨.¨...¨
¨..¨..¨,^=                                          =^,¨..¨..¨
.¨¨¨,¨,¨.-                                          -.¨,¨,¨¨¨.
¨,,.¨.¨.,.                                          .,.¨.¨.,,¨
¨,.¨.,¨,..                                          ..,¨,.¨.,¨