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