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