¨¨,««::$£#                                          #£$::««,¨¨
¨,«:%$¤£##                                          ##£¤$%:«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,::$£                                          £$::,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«:%$¤£##                                          ##£¤$%:«,¨
¨,«««:%$££                                          ££$%:«««,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,:%¤#         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         #¤%:,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«:%$¤£##         : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS :         ##£¤$%:«,¨
¨¨¨,,,:$£#         : IN A STALE TIMELINE, :         #£$:,,,¨¨¨
¨,«:%$¤£##         :  BRANCHED WAY BACK   :         ##£¤$%:«,¨
¨,«:%$¤¤¤¤         :  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  :         ¤¤¤¤$%:«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,««%¤         :  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.        #¶##*$/~-¨
,¨.¨^»=*&#                                          #&*=»^¨.¨,
,¨¨,,,~†*@                                          @*†~,,,¨¨,
,~»\*%#@##                                          ##@#%*\»~,
..«/^&§@##                                          ##@§&^/«..
¨-~^†%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%†^~-¨