¨-=/**&¶## ##¶&**/=-¨
¨¨¨¨¨===*& &*===¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-/***¶# #¶***/-¨¨¨
¨-=/**&&&# #&&&**/=-¨
¨¨¨¨¨-/**¶ ¶**/-¨¨¨¨¨
¨-=**&¶### # ==================== # ###¶&**=-¨
¨¨¨¨-=//*& / 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. £&¤;~~,¨¨¨
.-~*†$¤@## ##@¤$†*~-.
¨~~:;\%=@¤ ¤@=%\;:~~¨
.:-;*§§@#@ @#@§§*;-:.
,.¨,,¨«$£§ §£$«¨,,¨.,
¨^~;%@@@## ##@@@%;~^¨