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