.&....&&.&                                          &......&&.
&&...&.&.&                                          &.....&.&.
.&..&&.&.&                                          &....&&.&.
&&.&.&.&.&                                          &...&.&.&.
.&.&.&.&.&                                          &..&&.&.&.
&&.&.&.&.&         # -------------------- #         &.&.&.&.&.
.&.&.&.&.&         † 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.       #,#¨§¨&,§,
¨£,¤.§¨¤,£                                          £¨§¨£.#,£.
&¤,£¨¤¨¤,§                                          &¨&.£.&,#,
¨@.§,£.£¨¤                                          £.&,¤.#¨£¨
¤@.&.§,@,¤                                          &¨&.§,§.#¨
,@¨£¨@,@,&                                          #¨&¨&¨£.¤,