¨^~**$¤££# #££¤$**~^¨
¨¨¨¨~~~~*¤ ¤*~~~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~*¤¤# #¤¤*~~¨¨¨¨
¨~**$¤£### ###£¤$**~¨
¨^~**$¤£## ##£¤$**~^¨
¨^~**$¤£## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##£¤$**~^¨
¨^~**$¤£## * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ##£¤$**~^¨
¨^~**$¤£## * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ##£¤$**~^¨
¨^~**$¤£## * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ##£¤$**~^¨
¨^^~****¤£ * 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. ##@&¤†^«.,
..¨.-\¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤\-.¨..
..-:=$&@## ##@&$=:-..
¨,-†=$&### ###&$=†-,¨
,-«^*%#£## ##£#%*^«-,
,:»=*@#@@# #@@#@*=»:,