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