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