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