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