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