¨¨^===$&@#                                          #@&$===^¨¨
¨¨¨^===$&@                                          @&$===^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^===$&                                          &$===^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^===$&@                                          @&$===^¨¨¨
¨¨^===$&@#                                          #@&$===^¨¨
¨^===$&@##         # ==================== #         ##@&$===^¨
¨¨^===$&@#         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         #@&$===^¨¨
¨¨¨^===$&@         = IN A STALE TIMELINE, =         @&$===^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^===$&         =  BRANCHED WAY BACK   =         &$===^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^===$&@         =  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  =         @&$===^¨¨¨
¨¨^===$&@#         =  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  =         #@&$===^¨¨
¨^===$&@##  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ##@&$===^¨
¨¨^===$&@#  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  #@&$===^¨¨
¨¨¨^===$&@         =        AT ALL...     =         @&$===^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^===$&         # ==================== #         &$===^¨¨¨¨
¨.¨^~:§*§#                                          #§*§:~^¨.¨
¨,,»\%%#¶@     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.       #§£*^-~¨.,
,,,~/*¤¤@@                                          @@¤¤*/~,,,
¨,»^*@££##                                          ##££@*^»,¨
,.:~;†$&#@                                          @#&$†;~:.,
,¨,,-**¤¤@                                          @¤¤**-,,¨,
¨,.¨:~/=&¤                                          ¤&=/~:¨.,¨