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