¨¨-=^^^**& &**^^^=-¨¨
¨¨--^^^$$£ £$$^^^--¨¨
¨¨¨-==^$&& &&$^==-¨¨¨
¨-=^*$&£@# #@£&$*^=-¨
¨-=^*$&£@# #@£&$*^=-¨
¨¨¨¨--=*$& # ==================== # &$*=--¨¨¨¨
¨-=^*$&@## ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^ ##@&$*^=-¨
¨-=^*$&£@# ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^ #@£&$*^=-¨
¨-=^*$&£@# ^ BRANCHED WAY BACK ^ #@£&$*^=-¨
¨¨---^^$&£ ^ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ^ £&$^^---¨¨
¨-=^*$&£@# ^ WAS ALMOST BARREN, ^ #@£&$*^=-¨
¨-=^*$£@## COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ##@£$*^=-¨
¨¨¨¨¨-^*&& 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. £@%~=,,.¨,
,-«\*£@@@# #@@@£*\«-,
,,«/%%£@## ##@£%%/«,,
¨,,.~\$$$§ §$$$\~.,,¨
¨^«†%¤&### ###&¤%†«^¨
.^»/%¤§@## ##@§¤%/»^.