¨~«^$%@£##                                          ##£@%$^«~¨
¨~«^$%@###                                          ###@%$^«~¨
¨~«^$%@££#                                          #££@%$^«~¨
¨~«^^^$%££                                          ££%$^^^«~¨
¨~«^$%@@@£                                          £@@@%$^«~¨
¨~«^$%@£##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##£@%$^«~¨
¨~«^$%@£##         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         ##£@%$^«~¨
¨~«^$$$$%£         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         £%$$$$^«~¨
¨~«^$%£###         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         ###£%$^«~¨
¨~«^$%@£##         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         ##£@%$^«~¨
¨¨¨¨~^%@@#         ^  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ^         #@@%^~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~^^$@@@ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  @@@$^^~¨¨¨
¨~«^%@£###  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  ###£@%^«~¨
¨¨¨~~~«^%@         ^        AT ALL...     ^         @%^«~~~¨¨¨
¨~«^$@£###         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ###£@$^«~¨
,¨.~=%§^@#                                          #@^§%=~.¨,
..¨.::^$¤@     MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE     @¤$^::.¨..
¨,=:**¶###   LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK,   ###¶**:=,¨
¨,-*%$@¶##  FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND ##¶@$%*-,¨
,,..^~\$&§  ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND.   §&$\~^..,,
¨,«:*$¤¶##   IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY,   ##¶¤$*:«,¨
..~%%@@###     AND ABOUT TO FIND THE WOLF POOL.     ###@@%%~..
,:«:$§£@##                                          ##@£§$:«:,
,..»~%¤£##                    .#.                   ##£¤%~»..,
¨^«;§%¤@@#                                          #@@¤%§;«^¨
,~»^%$&¶##    THE POOL LIES IN A SMALL METEORITE    ##¶&$%^»~,
,.-\=@##@#   IMPACT CRATER, SIXTY METERS ACROSS.    #@##@=\-.,
¨:«\=£@@##   IT'S SURFACE IS PITCH BLACK AND EVEN   ##@@£=\«:¨
..¨¨.~=^=¤  THOUGH IT'S NOT WELL PROTECTED, IT IS   ¤=^=~.¨¨..
.¨.-~;\%££           UNDISTURBED BY WIND.           ££%\;~-.¨.
,,«\*$@£@#                                          #@£@$*\«,,
.,¨.,,:=*#                    ¨#,                   #*=:,,.¨,.
.¨,--^*£*@                                          @*£*^--,¨.
¨~-†;†=§§@     AS THEY STUMBLE ON THE POOL, THE     @§§=†;†-~¨
¨,.¨.¨-\£&  EXPLORERS FIRST BELIEVE IT TO BE WATER, &£\-¨.¨.,¨
¨--;$$####    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@$AWARENESS#     #£†==;*«-.
,.-*%££@## #£OF&@EXACTLY##HOW£THEY&HAD§TRAVELED,*#  ##@££%*-.,
.¨¨¨,,=^†@  #¤OF£THE#WAY#HOME¶@TO#THE£TIME#FROM@#   @†^=,,¨¨¨.
¨~~^†§@#@#  #@WHERE@THEY#CAME,@###@##AND#THEN#@@@   #@#@§†^~~¨
¨:~\%*§@##   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE*»   ##@§*%\~:¨
¨..,~«/*&@   ~«BEING ~ STOLEN «- FROM ~-~ THEM. .   @&*/«~,..¨
.:~=%&#£##          -~ ,  »»- ¨  ~,  :«  »          ##£#&%=~:.
¨.«†=%¶###    .   ~~          ,                .    ###¶%=†«.¨
.:=†=*£¶@#        .      ¨          ¨      %        #@¶£*=†=:.
,¨..¨«$%¶¶                                          ¶¶%$«¨..¨,
.-«=%$#§@#                    ¨#.                   #@§#$%=«-.
.^~=^§§¶¶@                                          @¶¶§§^=~^.
,.¨^~«/*££                   AND,                   ££*/«~^¨.,
,.=^£§####                                          ####§£^=.,
¨¨,-=%**¶@  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  @¶**%=-,¨¨
,^~=%§&£##        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ##£&§%=~^,
.¨.:-=*§#@                                          @#§*=-:.¨.
,~=†^^*†§#                                          #§†*^^†=~,
¨,=:§§@@£@                                          @£@@§§:=,¨
,,¨,,^†%##                                          ##%†^,,¨,,
¨,~††$*££@                                          @££*$††~,¨