¨¨-~:^§#@# #@#§^:~-¨¨
¨¨¨-~:^§#@ @#§^:~-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-~:^§# #§^:~-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-~:^§ §^:~-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-~:^ ^:~-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~: # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # :~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~ : 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. #£&^†=,¨.¨
.,^-†§¤#@# #@#¤§†-^,.
¨,~^=##@## ##@##=^~,¨
¨,,«/$#### ####$/«,,¨
..¨:=;*&## ##&*;=:¨..
¨,..^-†$&# #&$†-^..,¨