¨¨¨¨--*^$@ @$^*--¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨--*^$ $^*--¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨--*^$@ @$^*--¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨--*^$@@ @@$^*--¨¨¨
¨¨--*^$@@# #@@$^*--¨¨
¨--*^$@@## # -------------------- # ##@@$^*--¨
¨¨--*^$@@# * 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. #££%%\~,,¨
¨.-=†$&¶## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##¶&$†=-.¨
¨¨,»/$@#@# #@#@$/»,¨¨
,..^-/%£&@ @&£%/-^..,
¨,.,~«†**# #**†«~,.,¨
¨¨¨.¨-~†%£ £%†~-¨.¨¨¨
¨.¨,-~:%¤& &¤%:~-,¨.¨