¨.»\*§§@@# #@@§§*\».¨
¨.»\*§§§§@ @§§§§*\».¨
¨.»\*§§@@@ @@@§§*\».¨
¨.»\*§§@@# #@@§§*\».¨
¨.»\*§§@## ##@§§*\».¨
¨.»\*§§@@# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #@@§§*\».¨
¨.»\*§§@@# \ 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, #@£$~:..,¨
,.»=%$§£## ##£§$%=».,
,~«*§%¤### NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ###¤%§*«~,
¨:»†*§¤¶#@ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. @#¶¤§*†»:¨
¨^,~**$#&# #&#$**~,^¨
.~~;^&#@## ##@#&^;~~.
,-»\%%#### ####%%\»-,
¨.:,-=$%@¤ ¤@%$=-,:.¨
.~-;%$#@## ##@#$%;-~.