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