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