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