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