¨¨¨,-===¤& &¤===-,¨¨¨
¨,-=*¤&£@@ @@£&¤*=-,¨
¨,=*¤&£@## ##@£&¤*=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-*& &*-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,=¤& &¤=,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,,-=¤& # -------------------- # &¤=-,,¨¨¨¨
¨,=*¤&£@## = 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@##@ ¤£§@&$^»,¨
.~«^^%&¶## #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS§KNOWLEDGE*- ##¶&%^^«~.
,~~\%§£### ~=BEING « STOLEN »» FROM «== THEM. . ###£§%\~~,
¨:-^§*#¶## -~ ¨ ~~» ¨ ~, -~ - ##¶#*§^-:¨
¨^~=$¤#£## - ,~ ^ ¨ ##£#¤$=~^¨
,,.::*£&§@ . , ¨ % @§&£*::.,,
,:»/†£#¶## ##¶#£†/»:,
.¨,.~-»§#@ ,#. @#§»-~.,¨.
¨.¨,.¨~^%@ @%^~¨.,¨.¨
..¨.~*@*@# AND, #@*@*~.¨..
¨.,.==:=§@ @§=:==.,.¨
,,~\^@@¶@# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #@¶@@^\~,,
.,¨..¨~%¤£ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. £¤%~¨..¨,.
,-~;=%§### ###§%=;~-,
.,»^%£@£## ##£@£%^»,.
,,~~»*%§§@ @§§%*»~~,,
¨...¨..:££ ££:..¨...¨
,-»**$#@## ##@#$**»-,