¨¨¨¨¨~=%§#                                          #§%=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~»%¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤%»~¨¨¨¨
¨~»»»»=§¤¤                                          ¤¤§=»»»»~¨
¨~»=%§¤###                                          ###¤§%=»~¨
¨~»=%§¤###                                          ###¤§%=»~¨
¨¨¨»==%§¤#         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         #¤§%==»¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~=%§§¤         = 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.  #$-=«¨¨...
¨^=;%¤£###        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ###£¤%;=^¨
,^=†§$¤@##                                          ##@¤$§†=^,
,.¨,^=~/^#                                          #^/~=^,¨.,
,~~*%£$¤##                                          ##¤$£%*~~,
,^«:$££¶#@                                          @#¶££$:«^,
..¨.«»=*¤@                                          @¤*=»«.¨..