¨^~^†%§@@#                                          #@@§%†^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^†%@                                          @%†^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~~††§                                          §††~~^¨¨¨¨
¨^~^†§@###                                          ###@§†^~^¨
¨¨¨¨^^^††§                                          §††^^^¨¨¨¨
¨^~^†%§@##         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ##@§%†^~^¨
¨^~^†%§@##         ^ 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$¤EXACTLY£#HOW&THEY&HAD§TRAVELED,£# #¤@%=:-^¨,
,~-=†££¶##  ##OF@THE£WAY#HOME@¶TO@THE#TIME#FROM@¶   ##¶££†=-~,
,-==†¤¤###  #@WHERE#THEY#CAME,@###@#@AND#THEN##@@   ###¤¤†==-,
.-:.-~†*&§   #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS§KNOWLEDGE=»   §&*†~-.:-.
.,»†%£@###   ~=BEING « STOLEN =~ FROM =~» THEM. ,   ###@£%†»,.
,.~:†¤§§&#          -- ¨  =~» ¨  «¨  .-  ~          #&§§¤†:~.,
¨.«^§§^¤§¶    ,   ,.          .                ¨    ¶§¤^§§^«.¨
,,~^^£#¶##        ¨      .          ¨      *        ##¶#£^^~,,
.:~^=§§¶##                                          ##¶§§=^~:.
,.,¨,:~=@§                   ¨#¨                    §@=~:,¨,.,
.^-;§&#@##                                          ##@#&§;-^.
,.¨,,:~/%£                   AND,                   £%/~:,,¨.,
.¨..,^~-*@                                          @*-~^,..¨.
¨¨¨^-=/*§¤  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  ¤§*/=-^¨¨¨
,~~/=¤§¶##       NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.        ##¶§¤=/~~,
.^«\*@#@##                                          ##@#@*\«^.
..~*^$@@##                                          ##@@$^*~..
,.-=^¤§###                                          ###§¤^=-.,
¨¨.¨,,/£##                                          ##£/,,¨.¨¨
,,=**%§@£@                                          @£@§%**=,,