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