¨,-\%$&@@# #@@&$%\-,¨
¨¨,-\%$&@@ @@&$%\-,¨¨
¨¨¨,-\%$&@ @&$%\-,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-\%$& &$%\-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-\%$ $%\-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\% # -------------------- # %\-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\ \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ \-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \ -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, \ BRANCHED WAY BACK \ ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- \ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR \ -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\ \ WAS ALMOST BARREN, \ \-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\% COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, %\-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-\%$ 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. ^/«:..,.,¨
,.,.¨,,,~† †~,,,¨.,.,
.¨,..¨.,,~ ~,,.¨..,¨.
¨¨.,,¨,¨,: :,¨,¨,,.¨¨
.¨,.¨¨.¨,~ ~,¨.¨¨.,¨.
,,,¨,¨.~-† †-~.¨,¨,,,