¨,~^*$@@## ##@@$*^~,¨
¨,~^*$@@## ##@@$*^~,¨
¨¨¨¨~~^*@@ @@*^~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~*$$@# #@$$*~¨¨¨¨
¨,~~~~^*$@ @$*^~~~~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,^*@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @*^,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~^*$@@## ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^ ##@@$*^~,¨
¨,~~~~~*@@ ^ 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. @£#$/:~,¨.
,--=%$#@#@ @#@#$%=--,
,..-,=\*£@ @£*\=,-..,
,:»/†%†£¤§ §¤£†%†/»:,
¨¨:=~«/¤@£ £@¤/«~=:¨¨
,,-^%%#### ####%%^-,,