¨^~*§$§¶¶#                                          #¶¶§$§*~^¨
¨^~*§$¶###                                          ###¶$§*~^¨
¨^~*§$§¶##                                          ##¶§$§*~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~§§§                                          §§§~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~*§§$§§§                                          §§§$§§*~^¨
¨^~*§$§###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###§$§*~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^*$§¶         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ¶§$*^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~~~*§§§¶         * 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,                   ¶£§&$$\~.,
,.¨,:*$^$§                                          §$^$*:,¨.,
,:~\*†$£#@  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  @#£$†*\~:,
¨-»\†$&##@       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        @##&$†\»-¨
,~«*=$@@@#                                          #@@@$=*«~,
,:«:=§§£##                                          ##£§§=:«:,
,-~^^&&£##                                          ##£&&^^~-,
¨.«:*$#@##                                          ##@#$*:«.¨
,¨¨¨.--;†&                                          &†;--.¨¨¨,