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