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