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