¨¨¨¨¨¨.*§¤                                          ¤§*.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~*§¤¤###                                          ###¤¤§*~.¨
¨.~*§¤¤###                                          ###¤¤§*~.¨
¨.~*§¤¤###                                          ###¤¤§*~.¨
¨.~*§§¤¤##                                          ##¤¤§§*~.¨
¨¨¨.~~*¤##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##¤*~~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.*¤##         * 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.  #¶§#$*=-^,
.,-;*£####        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ####£*;-,.
¨,.,,»/=&#                                          #&=/»,,.,¨
..,,~†@*@§                                          §@*@†~,,..
.:~:%%####                                          ####%%:~:.
,¨,^,\†&$¶                                          ¶$&†\,^,¨,
¨.»==@@###                                          ###@@==».¨