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