¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;= =;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~;=$ $=;~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~;=$& &$=;~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~;=$&@ @&$=;~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~;=$&@# #@&$=;~^¨¨
¨^~;=$&@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@&$=;~^¨
¨¨^~;=$&@# ; 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. #@#%$*~,¨¨
,~=:*£@@## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##@@£*:=~,
,.:==†$£## ##£$†==:.,
,..,»/*$£@ @£$*/»,..,
,.,,-~/†@§ §@†/~-,,.,
..¨.,.»†*$ $*†».,.¨..
¨,..¨.~-†^ ^†-~.¨..,¨