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