¨¨,,,=/@@@                                          @@@/=,,,¨¨
¨,=/§@¤¤¤@                                          @¤¤¤@§/=,¨
¨,/§@¤@###                                          ###@¤@§/,¨
¨,====/@¤#                                          #¤@/====,¨
¨,====§§@¤                                          ¤@§§====,¨
¨¨¨¨¨=§¤@#         # ==================== #         #@¤§=¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨=//§§¤         / 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,$#  ##£§*,,..,
¨-»†%&£@@#   #¤OF¤THE£WAY@HOME##TO#THE#TIME¶FROM@@  #@@£&%†»-¨
.¨,.,¨~»*§   #£WHERE@THEY#CAME,@@#####AND#THEN###@  §*»~¨,.,¨.
.~~~~:=¤#@   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE=-   @#¤=:~~~~.
¨,~††&§#@¶   =«BEING = STOLEN =~ FROM ~=~ THEM. .   ¶@#§&††~,¨
¨¨¨¨.»/*£#          =» ,  -~~ .  «,  ,~  =          #£*/».¨¨¨¨
¨.,:~†^¤£@    ,   ~,          ,                ,    @£¤^†~:,.¨
¨,,..-:£#@        ¨      .          ,      %        @#£:-..,,¨
,~=**%####                                          ####%**=~,
.-~^$¤¶###                   ¨#.                    ###¶¤$^~-.
,,,,=%=@#¶                                          ¶#@=%=,,,,
,,~†=¤##@#                   AND,                   #@##¤=†~,,
,,«/†%££##                                          ##££%†/«,,
,--\=¤####  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ####¤=\--,
,~-;%@§###        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ###§@%;-~,
¨,=\*:$*§@                                          @§*$:*\=,¨
¨,==§$§§#@                                          @#§§$§==,¨
.¨^=;†%**£                                          £**%†;=^¨.
.,~†%*@##@                                          @##@*%†~,.
¨~~=§££&¤#                                          #¤&££§=~~¨