¨¨¨¨¨¨.\$&                                          &$\.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨»\$&&£                                          £&&$\»¨¨¨¨
¨.»\$**&&&                                          &&&**$\».¨
¨¨¨¨.»»\*&                                          &*\»».¨¨¨¨
¨.»\$*&£##                                          ##£&*$\».¨
¨.»\$*&£##         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ##£&*$\».¨
¨.»\$*&&&&         \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \         &&&&*$\».¨
¨.»\$*&£##         \ 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.        ##¶¤£§†«~¨
¨--*§%####                                          ####%§*--¨
¨,-^^$&£@#                                          #@£&$^^-,¨
,,~\^$§@@#                                          #@@§$^\~,,
.^~^$%&@##                                          ##@&%$^~^.
,,,¨^/§§#¶                                          ¶#§§/^¨,,,