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