¨¨¨¨¨,=%£@                                          @£%=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=%$$£#                                          #£$$%=,¨¨¨
¨,==%$£@##                                          ##@£$%==,¨
¨,====%%££                                          ££%%====,¨
¨,==%$£@##                                          ##@£$%==,¨
¨¨¨====%££         # ==================== #         ££%====¨¨¨
¨,==%$£@##         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         ##@£$%==,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=%££         = 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,                   ##@¤$§*=-.
¨¨,,¨,^\*@                                          @*\^,¨,,¨¨
,:~^^£§¶##  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ##¶§£^^~:,
.:=;§%#¶##        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ##¶#%§;=:.
,.=^*%#@@#                                          #@@#%*^=.,
,,~^%$&@##                                          ##@&$%^~,,
...,,.-;¤£                                          £¤;-.,,...
,,«;=@§###                                          ###§@=;«,,
,¨¨.,~^~^£                                          £^~^~,.¨¨,