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