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