¨¨,===£@##                                          ##@£===,¨¨
¨,===£@###                                          ###@£===,¨
¨¨,===£@##                                          ##@£===,¨¨
¨¨¨,===£@#                                          #@£===,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,===£@                                          @£===,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,===£         # ==================== #         £===,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,===         = 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.        $^\~.¨,,¨.
,,¨¨,.-«/^                                          ^/«-.,¨¨,,
.,,,,¨,,=\                                          \=,,¨,,,,.
.,,¨.¨...-                                          -...¨.¨,,.
¨¨.¨,.,¨.-                                          -.¨,.,¨.¨¨
.,.¨..¨.,=                                          =,.¨..¨.,.