¨¨¨¨^=\$$£                                          £$$\=^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^==£#                                          #£==^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=\=$£#@#                                          #@#£$=\=^¨
¨¨¨¨^\==£#                                          #£==\^¨¨¨¨
¨^=\=$£#@@                                          @@#£$=\=^¨
¨^=\=$£###         # ==================== #         ###£$=\=^¨
¨^=\=$£#@#         \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \         #@#£$=\=^¨
¨^=\=$£#@#         \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \         #@#£$=\=^¨
¨^=\=$£@##         \  BRANCHED WAY BACK   \         ##@£$=\=^¨
¨^=\=$£#@#         \  WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR  \         #@#£$=\=^¨
¨^=\=$$$£#         \  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.       #£#£=;,,,¨
¨-~*=†%§§£                                          £§§%†=*~-¨
¨,«†*@####                                          ####@*†«,¨
¨¨,¨,-†=*¶                                          ¶*=†-,¨,¨¨
¨:=/§£#@##                                          ##@#£§/=:¨
,,:.~=~*¤&                                          &¤*~=~.:,,