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