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