¨¨¨¨¨,~^*& &*^~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~^*&@ @&*^~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~^*&@# #@&*^~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~^*&@## ##@&*^~,¨¨
¨,~^*&@### ###@&*^~,¨
¨¨,~^*&@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@&*^~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~^*&@# ^ 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. ^=-:..,.,,
.,¨.,~=/^% %^/=~,.¨,.
.,,¨-«\*@& &@*\«-¨,,.
.,,.»^*%@# #@%*^».,,.
,.~=:*@¤## ##¤@*:=~.,
.,«=%%§@## ##@§%%=«,.