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