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