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