¨¨¨¨¨^~;§¤                                          ¤§;~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;§                                          §;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;                                          ;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~                                          ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^                                          ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         ; 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.       »-..,¨..,,
,.,.,.¨^~*                                          *~^¨.,.,.,
.¨¨.,,~«;§                                          §;«~,,.¨¨.
¨.,¨.,»†*£                                          £*†»,.¨,.¨
.¨.,,~==*#                                          #*==~,,.¨.
.¨,~«*%¤@#                                          #@¤%*«~,¨.