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