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