¨-=:%%@@## ##@@%%:=-¨
¨¨-=:%%@@# #@@%%:=-¨¨
¨¨¨-=:%%@@ @@%%:=-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-=:%%@ @%%:=-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-=:%%@@ @@%%:=-¨¨¨
¨¨-=:%%@@# # ==================== # #@@%%:=-¨¨
¨-=:%%@@## : 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. @&§^-..¨.,
¨.¨,»/%@£# #£@%/»,¨.¨
,¨:=*=$§## ##§$=*=:¨,
.,~=*£@### ###@£*=~,.
,¨.»*^$### ###$^*».¨,
¨,.:~†$£#@ @#£$†~:.,¨