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