¨¨-~^*$@##                                          ##@$*^~-¨¨
¨-~^*$@###                                          ###@$*^~-¨
¨¨-~^*$@##                                          ##@$*^~-¨¨
¨¨¨-~^*$@#                                          #@$*^~-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-~^*$@                                          @$*^~-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~^*$         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         $*^~-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-~^*         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         *^~-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~^*$         ^ 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.       #£¤§*~,¨¨.
.¨.=;†§¤@#                                          #@¤§†;=.¨.
¨^-*%££###                                          ###££%*-^¨
.¨,=\$§@##                                          ##@§$\=,¨.
,,.-~^*%§@                                          @§%*^~-.,,
,...,»†%££                                          ££%†»,...,