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