¨¨¨¨¨.:$¶¶ ¶¶$:.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.»:*$¤¶@# #@¶¤$*:».¨
¨¨¨¨¨.»:$¶ ¶$:».¨¨¨¨¨
¨.»:*$¤¶@# #@¶¤$*:».¨
¨.»::::$$¤ ¤$$::::».¨
¨¨¨¨.:*¤¤¶ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¶¤¤*:.¨¨¨¨
¨.»:*$¤¶@# : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS : #@¶¤$*:».¨
¨.»:*$¤¤¤¤ : IN A STALE TIMELINE, : ¤¤¤¤$*:».¨
¨.»:*$¤¶@@ : BRANCHED WAY BACK : @@¶¤$*:».¨
¨.»:*$¤¶@# : WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR : #@¶¤$*:».¨
¨¨¨¨¨.:$¤¤ : WAS ALMOST BARREN, : ¤¤$:.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨»*$$¤ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¤$$*»¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.:*¤¶ 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. ##@@§*^»~¨
.:~*$£¤### NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ###¤£$*~:.
,,«^†£#### ####£†^«,,
,,,,-=*§£# #£§*=-,,,,
,,,¨.-:§¤@ @¤§:-.¨,,,
,,~^%§§@## ##@§§%^~,,
,¨¨.¨-;/%@ @%/;-¨.¨¨,