¨^~\††¤¤## ##¤¤††\~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^\¤# #¤\^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~\†¤£### ###£¤†\~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~†£ £†~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~\†††¤## ##¤†††\~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~†¤¤£ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # £¤¤†~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^~†£ \ 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###@ @#$=*^~.,.
¨,»†^@@### #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS†KNOWLEDGE†« ###@@^†»,¨
¨¨¨..,,/§¤ ~«BEING « STOLEN == FROM ~=~ THEM. , ¤§/,,..¨¨¨
¨:»^%&#£## -» . ««» , »¨ ~~ ~ ##£#&%^»:¨
,:~;$%#### : -~ : . ####%$;~:,
¨¨,~=~=§@£ . . . = £@§=~=~,¨¨
,.»^=£&¶## ##¶&£=^».,
..«†%£¤#@# .#, #@#¤£%†«..
,,«;%£&@## ##@&£%;«,,
..¨.,,«:£¤ AND, ¤£:«,,.¨..
,,.¨~^;*$@ @$*;^~¨.,,
¨-»/§§#@@# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #@@#§§/»-¨
.^=/^£§### NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ###§£^/=^.
¨:-:$£%§£# #£§%£$:-:¨
.,,-/%$¤@# #@¤$%/-,,.
,.,¨.,~=%§ §%=~,.¨,.,
.:»^%%@¶#@ @#¶@%%^»:.
¨,,-=^%¤@# #@¤%^=-,,¨