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