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