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