¨¨¨¨¨¨^~:*                                          *:~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~:*¤                                          ¤*:~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~:*¤&                                          &¤*:~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~:*¤&¶                                          ¶&¤*:~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~:*¤&¶@                                          @¶&¤*:~^¨¨
¨^~:*¤&¶@#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #@¶&¤*:~^¨
¨¨^~:*¤&¶@         : 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###@   $=*~,.,...
,¨,¨:=:*%§   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS§KNOWLEDGE†~   §%*:=:¨,¨,
,¨¨,»^*£§@   ~»BEING ~ STOLEN ~» FROM =~~ THEM. ¨   @§£*^»,¨¨,
,¨,~^=$&¶#          «~ .  »-~ ,  -,  ~«  ~          #¶&$=^~,¨,
,.=:*§£###    :   :-          ^                .    ###£§*:=.,
¨¨-«;**£##        ,      ¨          .      %        ##£**;«-¨¨
,,¨.~:%¤£¶                                          ¶£¤%:~.¨,,
,.¨,-»/%£§                    ¨#.                   §£%/»-,¨.,
...,..~:^@                                          @^:~..,...
,.¨¨.,-=:†                   AND,                   †:=-,.¨¨.,
.¨...¨,,~/                                          /~,,¨...¨.
..¨.,,¨¨^-  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  -^¨¨,,.¨..
,¨.,¨,¨~»=        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       =»~¨,¨,.¨,
,,¨.¨.~=\=                                          =\=~.¨.¨,,
.¨¨,,.«*$%                                          %$*«.,,¨¨.
,.,..~†%$¤                                          ¤$%†~..,.,
,¨..~/=$¤@                                          @¤$=/~..¨,
¨,.»\*§¤@#                                          #@¤§*\».,¨