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