¨~~\§@£@##                                          ##@£@§\~~¨
¨~~\§@£@##                                          ##@£@§\~~¨
¨~~~~~§£@@                                          @@£§~~~~~¨
¨~~\§@£@##                                          ##@£@§\~~¨
¨~~~~§@££@                                          @££@§~~~~¨
¨¨¨¨~~\@£#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #£@\~~¨¨¨¨
¨~~\§@£@##         \ 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.       @&¤†~.,.,.
.,,.~-\*@@                                          @@*\-~.,,.
.,¨.:^$&§£                                          £§&$^:.¨,.
.,~/%£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£%/~,.
..,=†/@$§#                                          #§$@/†=,..
¨^~:^£#@##                                          ##@#£^:~^¨