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