¨,~;%@¤¶## ##¶¤@%;~,¨
¨,~;%@@@¤¶ ¶¤@@@%;~,¨
¨,~;%@¤¶## ##¶¤@%;~,¨
¨¨¨~;;@@¶¶ ¶¶@@;;~¨¨¨
¨,~;%@¤¶## ##¶¤@%;~,¨
¨,~;%@¤¶## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##¶¤@%;~,¨
¨,~;%@¶### ; 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, ¤&$%%«^,,¨
,,,^:==££@ @££==:^,,,
,,,¨.:~^*£ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. £*^~:.¨,,,
..--»*$@$# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #$@$*»--..
¨.¨,=*=*¤# #¤*=*=,¨.¨
,-~:*%#### ####%*:~-,
¨,~*^%&¶## ##¶&%^*~,¨
,,»:=$#### ####$=:»,,
¨:«;*$@@## ##@@$*;«:¨