¨:»\%%¤¶## ##¶¤%%\»:¨
¨:»\%%¤¶## ##¶¤%%\»:¨
¨:»\%%¤¤¤¶ ¶¤¤¤%%\»:¨
¨:»\%%¤¶## ##¶¤%%\»:¨
¨:»\%%¤¶## ##¶¤%%\»:¨
¨:»\%¤¶### # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ###¶¤%\»:¨
¨:»\%%¤¶## \ 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. &§$^~~,,¨¨
¨..,,~;*## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##*;~,,..¨
,-«†§££¶£@ @£¶££§†«-,
¨-~»«*@%£# #£%@*«»~-¨
.¨¨¨¨~~;$§ §$;~~¨¨¨¨.
¨.~=$$¤@## ##@¤$$=~.¨
¨:=/§*£#@# #@#£*§/=:¨