¨¨¨¨¨~=†@¤                                          ¤@†=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~==††*@¤                                          ¤@*††==~~¨
¨~=†*@¤££@                                          @££¤@*†=~¨
¨¨¨~=†††@¤                                          ¤@†††=~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨=†*@¤                                          ¤@*†=¨¨¨¨¨
¨~=†*@¤£##         # ==================== #         ##£¤@*†=~¨
¨~=†*@¤£@#         † 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.        @@†»-.¨,..
.¨-~/†$§¤¤                                          ¤¤§$†/~-¨.
..,^»/^$¶#                                          #¶$^/»^,..
..==*£@£##                                          ##£@£*==..
.,,¨¨,†*§#                                          #§*†,¨¨,,.
,,-;*§@£@#                                          #@£@§*;-,,