,:»;%@¤¶@# #@¶¤@%;»:,
,,,,,»%¤¤¤ ¤¤¤%»,,,,,
,,,»»%%@@¶ ¶@@%%»»,,,
,,,:»;%¤¤¤ ¤¤¤%;»:,,,
,:»;%@¤¶@@ @@¶¤@%;»:,
,,:::»%@@¤ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¤@@%»:::,,
,,,:::»%@¤ ; 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% #@@#%*:=,¨
,:«/=$£%&# ^§%BRIGHT%-§£A£SUDDEN*£AWARENESS# #&%£$=/«:,
¨,-/†%¤&## #$OF££EXACTLY&@HOW¤THEY&HAD&TRAVELED,%# ##&¤%†/-,¨
¨,,--:-/¤£ #&OF¤THE#WAY#HOME#@TO#THE@TIME#FROM@@ £¤/-:--,,¨
.~~†^%@¶## #¶WHERE#THEY#CAME,####@##AND#THEN#@## ##¶@%^†~~.
.^~=%@#### #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE/» ####@%=~^.
¨¨¨,=-%*%& ~«BEING » STOLEN =~ FROM ~«» THEM. ¨ &%*%-=,¨¨¨
¨..~~~«*^£ -~ ¨ -»~ . », .~ ~ £^*«~~~..¨
.....¨¨~*¤ ^ -, ~ ¨ ¤*~¨¨.....
.~-^=&§¶@# . , ¨ † #@¶§&=^-~.
,.=\%%@@£# #£@@%%\=.,
¨-»*†$£#@# .#, #@#£$†*»-¨
,-~†^§*### ###*§^†~-,
¨,=\†££#@# AND, #@#££†\=,¨
.:=:%£&£¶@ @¶£&£%:=:.
,:=†^@#£@# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #@£#@^†=:,
¨.-;*%@### NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ###@%*;-.¨
¨-:-/†%#&& &&#%†/-:-¨
,:»\=@#### ####@=\»:,
¨,~;=$§@## ##@§$=;~,¨
¨,¨.^=§*&@ @&*§=^.¨,¨
.-~:~=;%&@ @&%;=~:~-.