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