¨¨^-*†£&#@                                          @#&£†*-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-*†£&#                                          #&£†*-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-*†£&                                          &£†*-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^-*†£                                          £†*-^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^-*†                                          †*-^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-*         # -------------------- #         *-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-         * 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.        #@¶£$^;«:.
..,«;%$@£@                                          @£@$%;«,..
,¨.-~^%@¤¶                                          ¶¤@%^~-.¨,
,¨¨¨~~**$#                                          #$**~~¨¨¨,
.¨¨¨¨^~^%£                                          £%^~^¨¨¨¨.
¨.,,..^«^*                                          *^«^..,,.¨