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