¨:-\$¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤$\-:¨
¨¨¨¨-\$$¤¤ ¤¤$$\-¨¨¨¨
¨:-\$¤¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤¤$\-:¨
¨¨¨¨::-\$¤ ¤$\-::¨¨¨¨
¨:-\$¤¤@@# #@@¤¤$\-:¨
¨:-\$¤¤@## # -------------------- # ##@¤¤$\-:¨
¨:-\$¤¤¤¤¤ \ 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. #¶@*\--^¨,
¨¨.,¨-†$## ##$†-¨,.¨¨
¨^»/§*§### ###§*§/»^¨
,:«^%%§### ###§%%^«:,
..»;%£#@## ##@#£%;»..
.¨¨¨,,†@¶# #¶@†,,¨¨¨.