¨~-†**&@## ##@&**†-~¨
¨¨~-†**&@# #@&**†-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-†**&@ @&**†-~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-†**& &**†-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-†** **†-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†* # -------------------- # *†-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-† † 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. ¨¨,..,.,.¨
.,,¨,.,,¨. .¨,,.,¨,,.
,¨¨..¨.¨,¨ ¨,¨.¨..¨¨,
,.¨,...,¨, ,¨,...,¨.,
.,.¨..¨¨:» »:¨¨..¨.,.
¨¨¨,¨¨,^=* *=^,¨¨,¨¨¨