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