¨¨:=^=%#@@                                          @@#%=^=:¨¨
¨:=^=%#@@#                                          #@@#%=^=:¨
:=^=%#@@##                                          ##@@#%=^=:
¨:=^=%#@@#                                          #@@#%=^=:¨
¨¨:=^=%#@@                                          @@#%=^=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=^=%#@         # ==================== #         @#%=^=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=^=%#         ^ 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.       #§§$\=:,¨,
¨...:=;§$§                                          §$§;=:...¨
¨¨.:-^*@&#                                          #&@*^-:.¨¨
,¨,~;^£&¶#                                          #¶&£^;~,¨,
.-»†=%&¶##                                          ##¶&%=†»-.
,«;†£#####                                          #####£†;«,