¨¨¨^»/*§@@ @@§*/»^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^»/*§@ @§*/»^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^»/*§@@ @@§*/»^¨¨¨
¨¨^»/*§@@# #@@§*/»^¨¨
¨^»/*§@@## ##@@§*/»^¨
¨¨^»/*§@@# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #@@§*/»^¨¨
¨¨¨^»/*§@@ / 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, @¤£*/»:¨¨¨
,¨¨¨,«=*§¤ ¤§*=«,¨¨¨,
¨.,-~:%$## NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ##$%:~-,.¨
¨¨:~/^$¤@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@¤$^/~:¨¨
¨~~;%$#@## ##@#$%;~~¨
,¨,»\*$§#@ @#§$*\»,¨,
.¨,^»\%§£# #£§%\»^,¨.
.,¨,,~/*£§ §£*/~,,¨,.
,..~-\§$§@ @§$§\-~..,