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