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