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