¨¨¨¨,=^%&#                                          #&%^=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=^%&                                          &%^=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,=^%                                          %^=,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=^                                          ^=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=                                          =,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=^         # ==================== #         ^=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,=^%         ^ 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. ,   ;=,..¨,,,.
,.¨.,.¨.:-          -= ,  «== ¨  «,  .»  ~          -:.¨.,.¨.,
¨,¨,,,.^«;    ^   :,          -                ,    ;«^.,,,¨,¨
¨,,¨¨¨-~†%        .      .          ¨      †        %†~-¨¨¨,,¨
..,,¨,=^*$                                          $*^=,¨,,..
.,¨.:=:%%§                    ¨#.                   §%%:=:.¨,.
,,¨,~/*£§#                                          #§£*/~,¨,,
,.,»=%*¤¶#                   AND,                   #¶¤*%=»,.,
¨^~^%¤@£##                                          ##£@¤%^~^¨
¨¨,~/=%&£#  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  #£&%=/~,¨¨
.¨..~=†%§@        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       @§%†=~..¨.
,,¨.,~:$%¤                                          ¤%$:~,.¨,,
.¨.,¨,=†*&                                          &*†=,¨,.¨.
.¨,¨,..~†^                                          ^†~..,¨,¨.
,,,.¨,¨~~\                                          \~~¨,¨.,,,
¨,¨,,.,¨^~                                          ~^¨,.,,¨,¨