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