¨^»*%$¤@## ##@¤$%*»^¨
¨^»*%$¤@## ##@¤$%*»^¨
¨^»*%$¤@## ##@¤$%*»^¨
¨^»*%$¤@## ##@¤$%*»^¨
¨^»*%$¤@## ##@¤$%*»^¨
¨^»*%$¤¤¤# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #¤¤¤$%*»^¨
¨^»***%$¤# * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * #¤$%***»^¨
¨¨¨¨¨»*%%¤ * 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. ###¶¤§^»,.
¨,~\*§&@@¤ ¤@@&§*\~,¨
¨~~/%%¤£## ##£¤%%/~~¨
,¨..¨-/*£¶ ¶£*/-¨..¨,
.,~/*%&£@# #@£&%*/~,.
¨,~†*£§££# #££§£*†~,¨