¨:~*$¤#@## ##@#¤$*~:¨
¨:~*$¤#@@@ @@@#¤$*~:¨
¨:~*$¤#@@# #@@#¤$*~:¨
¨:~*$¤#@@@ @@@#¤$*~:¨
¨:~*$¤#@@# #@@#¤$*~:¨
¨:~*$¤¤¤## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##¤¤¤$*~:¨
¨:~*$¤¤#@@ * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * @@#¤¤$*~:¨
¨:*$¤#@@## * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ##@@#¤$*:¨
¨:~*$¤###@ * BRANCHED WAY BACK * @###¤$*~:¨
¨:~*$¤#@@@ * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * @@@#¤$*~:¨
¨:~*$¤#@@@ * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * @@@#¤$*~:¨
¨:~*$¤#@@# COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, #@@#¤$*~:¨
¨:~*$¤¤### AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ###¤¤$*~:¨
¨:~*$¤#@@# * AT ALL... * #@@#¤$*~:¨
¨¨¨¨~*$### # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ###$*~¨¨¨¨
¨¨...,;%%@ @%%;,...¨¨
¨,-=^**&## 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. #†*--,,¨¨.
¨.,,¨,=§&# #&§=,¨,,.¨
,,~**@§&@¶ ¶@&§@**~,,
.,~*%&£### ###£&%*~,.
,¨,~~;%^&¤ ¤&^%;~~,¨,
,:»;^&£### ###£&^;»:,