¨.~^=$@¶@# #@¶@$=^~.¨
¨.~^=$@¶¶¶ ¶¶¶@$=^~.¨
¨.~^=$@¶@# #@¶@$=^~.¨
¨.~^=$@@## ##@@$=^~.¨
¨.~^=$@¶@# #@¶@$=^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~^=@@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @@=^~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^=$@¶@# ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^ #@¶@$=^~.¨
¨¨¨~^=$$$@ ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^ @$$$=^~¨¨¨
¨¨.~^^^$@@ ^ BRANCHED WAY BACK ^ @@$^^^~.¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.^$@@ ^ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ^ @@$^.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.^^^$¶ ^ WAS ALMOST BARREN, ^ ¶$^^^.¨¨¨¨
¨.~^=$@¶@@ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, @@¶@$=^~.¨
¨.~^=$@@## AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ##@@$=^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.^=$¶ ^ AT ALL... ^ ¶$=^.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^=$@¶@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@¶@$=^~.¨
¨¨,¨.~:\§¤ ¤§\:~.¨,¨¨
.--=%&@¶## 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. @**^^-,.,¨
¨--^§%&@@# #@@&%§^--¨
,:~^=£&¶## ##¶&£=^~:,
,,--.;%$@¶ ¶@$%;.--,,
¨:«:*$§£## ##£§$*:«:¨
¨¨.««^*^§¶ ¶§^*^««.¨¨