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