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