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