¨¨¨--**$¤¤ ¤¤$**--¨¨¨
¨:-\*$¤@## ##@¤$*\-:¨
¨¨¨¨:\$$¤# #¤$$\:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-**¤ ¤**-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:-\*$¤#@# #@#¤$*\-:¨
¨:-\*$¤#@@ # -------------------- # @@#¤$*\-:¨
¨:-\*$¤#@# \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ #@#¤$*\-:¨
¨:-\*$¤#@# \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \ #@#¤$*\-:¨
¨¨¨¨:-*¤¤@ \ BRANCHED WAY BACK \ @¤¤*-:¨¨¨¨
¨¨:--*$$¤@ \ 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. @&%:~=,¨¨,
¨~»:%¤@§¶# #¶§@¤%:»~¨
.~-/^%†§@# #@§†%^/-~.
¨.~-=/*=£@ @£=*/=-~.¨
,^»†*%@### ###@%*†»^,
.~~;%&@¶£# #£¶@&%;~~.