¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»^& &^»¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨-»;^$&@@# #@@&$^;»-¨
¨-»;^$&@## ##@&$^;»-¨
¨-»;^$&@@# #@@&$^;»-¨
¨-»;^$@@## ##@@$^;»-¨
¨-»;^$&@@# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #@@&$^;»-¨
¨-»;^$&@@# ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; #@@&$^;»-¨
¨-»;^^^^&@ ; 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. @$^=:~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.-*&¤# #¤&*-.¨¨¨¨
¨,~*%%£§&# #&§£%%*~,¨
.--«^=*;@@ @@;*=^«--.
.~=**@@### ###@@**=~.
,.«†^*#@## ##@#*^†«.,