¨¨:«^§&§£@                                          @£§&§^«:¨¨
¨:«^§&§£@#                                          #@£§&§^«:¨
¨¨:«^§&§£@                                          @£§&§^«:¨¨
¨¨¨:«^§&§£                                          £§&§^«:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:«^§&§                                          §&§^«:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:«^§&         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         &§^«:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^§         ^ 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,$# ^=^.¨.¨.¨.
¨,.¨.,^-†^  #£OF@THE@WAY¶HOME£@TO#THE@TIME#FROM#@   ^†-^,.¨.,¨
¨.¨,¨.~/**  #¶WHERE@THEY@CAME,@##@###AND#THEN@@#@   **/~.¨,¨.¨
,,¨.:=:^%£   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE/-   £%^:=:.¨,,
¨¨.-=:^*§#   «~BEING « STOLEN ~= FROM ««~ THEM. ,   #§*^:=-.¨¨
,.^=††£§£#          ~= ,  ~~~ ,  »,  ,-  =          #£§£††=^.,
¨-=\%§§@##    ^   ~~          -                ,    ##@§§%\=-¨
,,,«\**§£@        ,      ,          ¨      §        @£§**\«,,,
¨¨¨^=*†§#@                                          @#§†*=^¨¨¨
,,.¨:-;*$@                    .#¨                   @$*;-:¨.,,
,..,,.~;%¤                                          ¤%;~.,,..,
.,,,¨,,=;*                   AND,                   *;=,,¨,,,.
¨,¨.¨,¨.~\                                          \~.¨,¨.¨,¨
,,¨¨..,=†*  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  *†=,..¨¨,,
..,.¨,~\%@        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       @%\~,¨.,..
..,¨~«/%£#                                          #£%/«~¨,..
..,~~:%$#@                                          @#$%:~~,..
,,:~†$£@@@                                          @@@£$†~:,,
.:~:†%@###                                          ###@%†:~:.
...«\*§§¶#                                          #¶§§*\«...