¨^~*§$§¶¶# #¶¶§$§*~^¨
¨^~*§$¶### ###¶$§*~^¨
¨^~*§$§¶## ##¶§$§*~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~§§§ §§§~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~*§§$§§§ §§§$§§*~^¨
¨^~*§$§### # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ###§$§*~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^*$§¶ * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ¶§$*^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~~~*§§§¶ * 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, ¶£§&$$\~.,
,.¨,:*$^$§ §$^$*:,¨.,
,:~\*†$£#@ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. @#£$†*\~:,
¨-»\†$#@ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. @##&$†\»-¨
,~«*=$@@@# #@@@$=*«~,
,:«:=§§£## ##£§§=:«:,
,-~^^&&£## ##£&&^^~-,
¨.«:*$#@## ##@#$*:«.¨
,¨¨¨.--;†& &†;--.¨¨¨,