¨¨¨,-†*$#£ £#$*†-,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-†*$# #$*†-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-†*$ $*†-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-†* *†-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-† †-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- # -------------------- # -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS † ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † IN A STALE TIMELINE, † ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † BRANCHED WAY BACK † ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR † ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † WAS ALMOST BARREN, † ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † AT ALL... † ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
..¨,...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...,¨..
.,.,¨.,.,, MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ,,.,.¨,.,.
¨¨,¨¨¨¨,,~ LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, ~,,¨¨¨¨,¨¨
,.¨,.,.^«^ FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND ^«^.,.,¨.,
,.,¨¨¨-«\* ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND. *\«-¨¨¨,.,
¨.¨,,,~:^£ IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY, £^:~,,,¨.¨
¨....-**$£ 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. ~,,.,¨¨¨..
¨..¨,¨,^=^ ^=^,¨,¨..¨
¨¨...,~~\% %\~~,...¨¨
,¨¨¨,.=;$$ $$;=.,¨¨¨,
¨,..^~\$$£ £$$\~^..,¨
,¨¨-»*%@££ ££@%*»-¨¨,