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