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