¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«^                                          ^«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-«^%                                          %^«-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-«^%*                                          *%^«-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-«^%*£                                          £*%^«-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-«^%*£#                                          #£*%^«-¨¨¨
¨¨-«^%*£##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##£*%^«-¨¨
¨-«^%*£###         ^ 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.       =^.¨.¨¨,,¨
¨,,¨,¨.,«*                                          *«,.¨,¨,,¨
¨,,,,.~~*§                                          §*~~.,,,,¨
.¨.,¨.-/*§                                          §*/-.¨,.¨.
,¨,,,-*^¤¤                                          ¤¤^*-,,,¨,
,¨.^~=*%@#                                          #@%*=~^.¨,