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