¨¨¨¨¨,*$££                                          ££$*,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»*§$$&&&                                          &&&$$§*»,¨
¨,,»»**§$&                                          &$§**»»,,¨
¨,»*§$&£##                                          ##£&$§*»,¨
¨,»*§$&&&£                                          £&&&$§*»,¨
¨¨¨¨,»§$$&         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         &$$§»,¨¨¨¨
¨,»*§$&£##         * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS *         ##£&$§*»,¨
¨¨¨,,,**§&         * 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.       ##£@&%†~-.
,¨,~-«-^¤#                                          #¤^-«-~,¨,
,.,,»»*%§£                                          £§%*»»,,.,
,~=*=§£##@                                          @##£§=*=~,
.-=††*\*§#                                          #§*\*††=-.
¨,»:§#£###                                          ###£#§:»,¨