¨¨,«/^¤@## ##@¤^/«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«/^¤@# #@¤^/«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«/^¤@ @¤^/«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«/^¤ ¤^/«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«/^ ^/«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«/ # «««««««««««««««««««« # /«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,« / 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. /«.,,.,,,,
¨,.,¨,¨¨:~ ~:¨¨,¨,.,¨
¨.¨,¨.¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨.¨,¨.¨
,,¨.,¨.,,= =,,.¨,.¨,,
,¨,...,~-\ \-~,...,¨,
,¨,,,.^«^% %^«^.,,,¨,