¨¨¨¨~»†§$&                                          &$§†»~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~»†§$&#                                          #&$§†»~¨¨¨
¨¨~»†§$&#@                                          @#&$§†»~¨¨
¨~»†§$&#@#                                          #@#&$§†»~¨
¨¨~»†§$&#@                                          @#&$§†»~¨¨
¨¨¨~»†§$&#         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         #&$§†»~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~»†§$&         † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS †         &$§†»~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~»†§$         † 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. ¨   #@¶#%%/«^.
¨,,=†%&¤##          -~ ,  ~=~ .  -.  ^-  ~          ##¤&%†=,,¨
,¨.,»†^&¤£    ,   ,^          :                .    £¤&^†»,.¨,
.¨,¨,-\%¤¤        ¨      ,          ,      $        ¤¤%\-,¨,¨.
,¨.¨,,-/^$                                          $^/-,,¨.¨,
.,,.,,,~=^                    ¨#¨                   ^=~,,,.,,.
.¨¨¨..,:-;                                          ;-:,..¨¨¨.
,,¨.¨,.¨:«                   AND,                   «:¨.,¨.¨,,
,¨¨.¨,¨^«/                                          /«^¨,¨.¨¨,
¨,¨..,-~=^  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ^=~-,..¨,¨
,,¨.¨-«*%§        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       §%*«-¨.¨,,
,,¨,,-^^$¤                                          ¤$^^-,,¨,,
¨¨.^»;%£§#                                          #§£%;»^.¨¨
.¨~«^*&@£@                                          @£@&*^«~¨.
.:=^^£¤@@#                                          #@@¤£^^=:.
,.-~\%@¤@@                                          @@¤@%\~-.,