¨¨.«\%¤£##                                          ##£¤%\«.¨¨
¨.«\%¤£###                                          ###£¤%\«.¨
¨¨.«\%¤£##                                          ##£¤%\«.¨¨
¨¨¨.«\%¤£#                                          #£¤%\«.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.«\%¤£                                          £¤%\«.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.«\%¤         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¤%\«.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.«\%¤£         \ 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.  #@^:»-.¨.¨
¨,,¨,^=/$¤        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ¤$/=^,¨,,¨
,¨.,.~*†#@                                          @#†*~.,.¨,
,,¨,«:†§¶#                                          #¶§†:«,¨,,
.¨^~†=@###                                          ###@=†~^¨.
¨.«=^@£###                                          ###£@^=«.¨
..,=^%§¶##                                          ##¶§%^=,..