¨.»*%$§£££                                          £££§$%*».¨
¨.»*%$§£##                                          ##£§$%*».¨
¨.»*%$§###                                          ###§$%*».¨
¨¨¨¨¨.*$££                                          ££$*.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.»*%$§£££                                          £££§$%*».¨
¨.»*%$§£##         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ##£§$%*».¨
¨¨..»%%$§£         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         £§$%%»..¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.*$§#         * IN A STALE TIMELINE, *         #§$*.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.»*%$§£##         *  BRANCHED WAY BACK   *         ##£§$%*».¨
¨¨¨.»*$§§§         *  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  *         §§§$*».¨¨¨
¨¨¨.*%%§£#         *  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.       ##£#£%†»,.
,.¨¨.,=^¤#                                          #¤^=,.¨¨.,
¨,,~;§^&§#                                          #§&^§;~,,¨
¨.,¨..~*$#                                          #$*~..¨,.¨
¨.¨,/;†#@#                                          #@#†;/,¨.¨
..»**£§@@#                                          #@@§£**»..