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