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