¨~~~»^§@@¶                                          ¶@@§^»~~~¨
¨¨¨¨~~^^¤¶                                          ¶¤^^~~¨¨¨¨
¨~»^§¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤§^»~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~^¤@                                          @¤^~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~»^§¤@@¶#                                          #¶@@¤§^»~¨
¨~»^§¤@¶##         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ##¶@¤§^»~¨
¨¨¨¨¨»»^¤¶         ^ 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.        ##@§&^\»^¨
,^~*†$#£##                                          ##£#$†*~^,
,,¨^~-**&#                                          #&**-~^¨,,
¨,»^*$&#@@                                          @@#&$*^»,¨
,~-^*$§@##                                          ##@§$*^-~,
.^~=†$&###                                          ###&$†=~^.