¨:«/=£§###                                          ###§£=/«:¨
¨:«/=£§###                                          ###§£=/«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨«/==§                                          §==/«¨¨¨¨¨
¨:«/=£§###                                          ###§£=/«:¨
¨:«/=£§###                                          ###§£=/«:¨
¨:«/=£§###         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ###§£=/«:¨
¨:«/=£§§##         / 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.       ##¶£&=†»^,
¨~-:$$£&£@                                          @£&£$$:-~¨
..,.:;^$¤¤                                          ¤¤$^;:.,..
,.,~~.\%#§                                          §#%\.~~,.,
¨-~=%$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$%=~-¨
.,-^=%¤@@#                                          #@@¤%=^-,.