¨¨¨:~;;%%#                                          #%%;;~:¨¨¨
¨:~;%£££##                                          ##£££%;~:¨
¨:~;%£#£##                                          ##£#£%;~:¨
¨:~;%£#£##                                          ##£#£%;~:¨
¨:~;%£#£##                                          ##£#£%;~:¨
¨:~;;;%£##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##£%;;;~:¨
¨:~;%£#£##         ; 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,                   ###¤¤*/~:,
...¨,-^#££                                          ££#^-,¨...
,,~,~»$*¤&  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  &¤*$»~,~,,
,^«^%$%¤*£        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       £*¤%$%^«^,
.¨¨»:*%*@¶                                          ¶@*%*:»¨¨.
¨.,¨«†%&@@                                          @@&%†«¨,.¨
¨~-\%££#¶#                                          #¶#££%\-~¨
¨.¨,^^*=§#                                          #§=*^^,¨.¨
,.~==*/%&#                                          #&%/*==~.,