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