¨¨¨¨¨^~\^§ §^\~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~\^§@ @§^\~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~\^§@# #@§^\~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~\^§@## ##@§^\~^¨¨
¨^~\^§@### ###@§^\~^¨
¨¨^~\^§@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@§^\~^¨¨
¨¨¨^~\^§@# \ 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. »:¨,¨.,¨,.
¨,¨.,¨¨,-; ;-,¨¨,.¨,¨
.,,¨¨..=†$ $†=..¨¨,,.
¨..,¨,»/$¤ ¤$/»,¨,..¨
¨.,..«*$@¶ ¶@$*«..,.¨
,¨,^~†*&#@ @#&*†~^,¨,