¨,-\*@#### ####@*\-,¨
¨¨,-\*@### ###@*\-,¨¨
¨¨¨,-\*@## ##@*\-,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-\*@# #@*\-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-\*@ @*\-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\* # -------------------- # *\-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\ \ 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. †;»:¨.¨,.,
,,,,¨¨.:=† †=:.¨¨,,,,
.¨¨,¨¨,.,~ ~,.,¨¨,¨¨.
...¨¨.¨,¨. .¨,¨.¨¨...
..,.,,,¨~- -~¨,,,.,..
¨,,,¨¨.^«= =«^.¨¨,,,¨