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