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