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