¨¨¨¨.~$%%&                                          &%%$~.¨¨¨¨
.~=$%&¶@##                                          ##@¶&%$=~.
¨.~=$%&¶@#                                          #@¶&%$=~.¨
¨.~=$%¶@##                                          ##@¶%$=~.¨
¨.~=$%&¶@#                                          #@¶&%$=~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.=$&         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         &$=.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~~$&         = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS =         &$~~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~=$%&&&&         = IN A STALE TIMELINE, =         &&&&%$=~.¨
¨.~===$%%&         =  BRANCHED WAY BACK   =         &%%$===~.¨
¨.~=$%&¶##         =  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  =         ##¶&%$=~.¨
¨.~=$%&¶@#         =  WAS ALMOST BARREN,  =         #@¶&%$=~.¨
¨.~=$%%&&& COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL,  &&&%%$=~.¨
¨.~=$%&¶@#  AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW,  #@¶&%$=~.¨
¨.~=$%&¶@#         =        AT ALL...     =         #@¶&%$=~.¨
¨.~=$%&&&&         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         &&&&%$=~.¨
:«*=¤&¶###                                          ###¶&¤=*«:
.,~\*¤§¶@#     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$THE:POOL,%THEIR†THIRST*FLARING*   ##@££$:~,.
¨.-†^@§@##     *$$BRIGHT%-^£A£SUDDEN§£AWARENESS#    ##@§@^†-.¨
.¨.^,«^@#£ #¤OF%#EXACTLY¤@HOW¤THEY#HAD§TRAVELED,£#  £#@^«,^.¨.
¨.¨~«:$&@#  #&OF£THE@WAY#HOME#£TO@THE#TIME£FROM#@   #@&$:«~¨.¨
.,«;/;†£§¶   #¶WHERE#THEY#CAME,###@##@AND@THEN####  ¶§£†;/;«,.
¨,..¨=*$##   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE^~   ##$*=¨..,¨
,¨¨¨-;=$¶£   -«BEING = STOLEN -- FROM ~~~ THEM. ,   £¶$=;-¨¨¨,
,,..,^*§¤@          »= .  ~~- ¨  -,  --  -          @¤§*^,..,,
¨-~\:;^¤¤@    .   :.          ~                ¨    @¤¤^;:\~-¨
,::~*\*£@@        .      .          ¨      $        @@£*\*~::,
.,.¨,*;$¤@                                          @¤$;*,¨.,.
,:~\%@####                    ,#,                   ####@%\~:,
¨,~/%¤####                                          ####¤%/~,¨
¨^»=%$&@##                   AND,                   ##@&$%=»^¨
,-~*=$§###                                          ###§$=*~-,
.,¨,,:»^=§  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  §=^»:,,¨,.
.,,¨.=†:£#       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        #£:†=.¨,,.
.....^:&£#                                          #£&:^.....
,,-~»:$$£#                                          #£$$:»~-,,
,,-~†/†*£@                                          @£*†/†~-,,
¨,¨~\**§¤@                                          @¤§**\~¨,¨
,.«=$$#@##                                          ##@#$$=«.,