¨¨¨¨¨:~$$£ £$$~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:::\$$££# #££$$\:::¨
¨:~\$$£### ###£$$\~:¨
¨:~~\\$$£# #£$$\\~~:¨
¨:~\$$£### ###£$$\~:¨
¨:~\$$£### # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ###£$$\~:¨
¨:~\$$£### \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ ###£$$\~:¨
¨:~\$$£### \ 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. #§$¤;-,,..
,,-††£¤### ###¤£††-,,
.-«=%*@@## ##@@*%=«-.
.-~\*$##@# #@##$*\~-.
,~~**§%¤£@ @£¤%§**~~,
.~-==@#¤#¶ ¶#¤#@==-~.