¨¨¨-~==%&@                                          @&%==~-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-~==%&                                          &%==~-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~==%                                          %==~-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-~==                                          ==~-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~=                                          =~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-~==         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ==~-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~==%         = 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†«   ##¶&£†^~^.
,,:~†$*§##   «-BEING - STOLEN -» FROM »~= THEM. ¨   ##§*$†~:,,
,¨,^~=^££¶          -= ,  »~~ ¨  ~.  .-  «          ¶££^=~^,¨,
¨.¨¨:»†$£§    ,   :-          ~                .    §£$†»:¨¨.¨
.,¨..,~;†$        ¨      ,          .      =        $†;~,..¨,.
.¨¨.¨¨,~/=                                          =/~,¨¨.¨¨.
..¨..¨.:=:                    ,#.                   :=:.¨..¨..
,¨...,:«\=                                          =\«:,...¨,
,,¨¨.,«/%@                   AND,                   @%/«,.¨¨,,
.¨..,~*%$@                                          @$%*~,..¨.
,..,=††%¤#  NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED.  #¤%††=,..,
,,~»;%@###        NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER.       ###@%;»~,,
,:«:%§¤###                                          ###¤§%:«:,
,..~*=%@##                                          ##@%=*~..,
¨¨,:~;§$§#                                          #§$§;~:,¨¨
¨,,.-~*†$£                                          £$†*~-.,,¨
.¨¨.,,-:%&                                          &%:-,,.¨¨.