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