¨¨¨¨¨¨~**§ §**~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~*%¶@ @¶%*~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~\*%§¶@# #@¶§%*\~,¨
¨,~\*%§¶@@ @@¶§%*\~,¨
¨,~\*%§¶@@ @@¶§%*\~,¨
¨,~\*%§¶@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@¶§%*\~,¨
¨¨,,~\%%§@ \ 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. ###§$**»~,
.,.~,/%$@£ £@$%/,~.,.
,:-:*§£@¶# #¶@£§*:-:,
¨,-=;%†^@# #@^†%;=-,¨
,-~^^*£### ###£*^^~-,
^~=$*£@### ###@£*$=~^