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