¨,«;%&&@##                                          ##@&&%;«,¨
¨¨,«;%&&@#                                          #@&&%;«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«;%&&@                                          @&&%;«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«;%&&                                          &&%;«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«;%&                                          &%;«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«;%&&         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         &&%;«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«;%&&@         ; 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.       #%$/»,¨,,,
...,=\^££@                                          @££^\=,...
¨.:~=*%#@#                                          #@#%*=~:.¨
¨^~/*$@£##                                          ##£@$*/~^¨
.,~==$&§£#                                          #£§&$==~,.
,,¨,~\%@&£                                          £&@%\~,¨,,