¨-~*%$£@## ##@£$%*~-¨
¨¨-~*%$£@# #@£$%*~-¨¨
¨-~*%$£@## ##@£$%*~-¨
¨¨-~*%$£@# #@£$%*~-¨¨
¨-~*%$£@## ##@£$%*~-¨
¨¨-~*%$£@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@£$%*~-¨¨
¨-~*%$£@## * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ##@£$%*~-¨
¨¨-~*%$£@# * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * #@£$%*~-¨¨
¨-~*%$£@## * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ##@£$%*~-¨
¨¨-~*%$£@# * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * #@£$%*~-¨¨
¨-~*%$£@## * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ##@£$%*~-¨
¨¨-~*%$£@# COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, #@£$%*~-¨¨
¨-~*%$£@## AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ##@£$%*~-¨
¨¨-~*%$£@# * AT ALL... * #@£$%*~-¨¨
¨-~*%$£@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@£$%*~-¨
¨.-«**$@@@ @@@$**«-.¨
.^~^%$#@## MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ##@#$%^~^.
.¨~=:$%&@@ LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, @@&%$:=~¨.
..«^%%¤¶## 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. ¨ @##£§\»:¨¨
.:-;^§£### == ¨ =«« , ~, ^~ ~ ###£§^;-:.
¨.:»^*¤&@# , ,, , ¨ #@&¤*^»:.¨
.^==*&&@## . . ¨ § ##@&&*==^.
.,^»\%%££# #££%%\»^,.
.--†*$#¶@# ,#, #@¶#$*†--.
,,.~**£¤¶# #¶¤£**~.,,
.-==$%§@## AND, ##@§%$==-.
.¨.~;%£&¶# #¶&£%;~.¨.
¨.=\=$#@## NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ##@#$=\=.¨
¨¨~~*$%¤¶# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #¶¤%$*~~¨¨
.-«†*£&¶@# #@¶&£*†«-.
.,:~*%@&@# #@&@%*~:,.
..~†^§#@## ##@#§^†~..
,,,=*=%&¶# #¶&%=*=,,,
.,~\*@@¶## ##¶@@*\~,.