¨:~^§$§£##                                          ##£§$§^~:¨
¨:~^§$§£##                                          ##£§$§^~:¨
¨:~^§$$§££                                          ££§$$§^~:¨
¨¨¨¨~§$§§§                                          §§§$§~¨¨¨¨
¨:~^§$§££#                                          #££§$§^~:¨
¨:~^§$£###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###£$§^~:¨
¨¨¨¨:^^$$£         ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^         £$$^^:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~§$§§#         ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^         #§§$§~¨¨¨¨
:~^§$§£###         ^  BRANCHED WAY BACK   ^         ###£§$§^~:
¨:~^§$§£##         ^  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  ^         ##£§$§^~:¨
¨:~^§$§£##         ^  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  ^         ##£§$§^~:¨
¨¨¨¨:^§$§£  COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, £§$§^:¨¨¨¨
¨:~~^^$§§#  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  #§§$^^~~:¨
¨:~^§$§£##         ^        AT ALL...     ^         ##£§$§^~:¨
¨:~~~§§§§£         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         £§§§§~~~:¨
¨...:~»/*#                                          #*/»~:...¨
,,,¨,†*§&#     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.        ##@#**=--,
..~/§%£###                                          ###£%§/~..
..¨¨,-«%$#                                          #$%«-,¨¨..
,.~†%£§@##                                          ##@§£%†~.,
,-»;†%§£##                                          ##£§%†;»-,
...¨~$*¤¶@                                          @¶¤*$~¨...