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