¨:~;*$¶### ###¶$*;~:¨
¨¨:~;*$¶## ##¶$*;~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~;*$¶# #¶$*;~:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~;*$¶ ¶$*;~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~;*$ $*;~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~;* # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # *;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~; ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~ ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ; ~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: ; BRANCHED WAY BACK ; :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~ ; WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ; ~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~; ; WAS ALMOST BARREN, ; ;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~;* COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, *;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~;*$ 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. ^:-~,,.¨..
,.,,..,^~\ \~^,..,,.,
,¨¨.,¨¨.~~ ~~.¨¨,.¨¨,
.¨,.,..¨,~ ~,¨..,.,¨.
,¨¨.,...,~ ~,...,.¨¨,
¨¨¨¨.,,~«\ \«~,,.¨¨¨¨