§.§§.§..§.                                          .§.§§§..§.
§..§.§.§§.                                          .§..§§.§§.
§.§§.§..§.                                          .§.§.§..§.
§..§.§.§§.                                          .§.§.§.§§.
§.§§.§..§.                                          .§.§.§..§.
§..§.§.§§.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .§.§.§.§§.
§.§§.§..§.         \ 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.       .@.@¨@,£§.
#,£@.§..§,                                          ¨&,#¨§,¨£,
§,.§,¤¨&@¨                                          ¨£,§,£.&£,
@.¤¤¨#¨,&,                                          .#¨¤,¤,¨@,
#..£,&.§£¨                                          ¨£,&.§.§@,
#.£§,¤¨.&¨                                          ¨@.§,£.¨¤¨