¨¨¨¨¨¨.~/^ ^/~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/^% %^/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/^%@ @%^/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/^%@@ @@%^/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/^%@@# #@@%^/~.¨¨
¨.~/^%@@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@@%^/~.¨
¨¨.~/^%@@# / 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. #$§/-.,,,,
¨.,-»=%%¤@ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. @¤%%=»-,.¨
¨,,«\=@@#@ @#@@=\«,,¨
.~~;†*@### ###@*†;~~.
,¨.»=§£¤£@ @£¤£§=».¨,
¨¨.,-;%%&# #&%%;-,.¨¨
.¨¨¨,-:$&¤ ¤&$:-,¨¨¨.