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