¨¨¨^=^^§¶#                                          #¶§^^=^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^=^^§¶                                          ¶§^^=^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=^^§                                          §^^=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^^                                          ^^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^                                          ^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=         # ==================== #         =^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^         ^ 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.        *†«,.¨¨¨¨.
¨¨¨,,,¨.»:                                          :».¨,,,¨¨¨
,.,¨.,¨,:~                                          ~:,¨,.¨,.,
.,,,.,,.,.                                          .,.,,.,,,.
.,.¨,¨,.,.                                          .,.,¨,¨.,.
.¨.,.,..,.                                          .,..,.,.¨.