¨-=*%@¤#@# #@#¤@%*=-¨
¨-=*%@¤#@# #@#¤@%*=-¨
¨-=*%@¤### ###¤@%*=-¨
¨¨¨-==%@@¤ ¤@@%==-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-*%@# #@%*-¨¨¨¨¨
¨-=*%@¤#@# # ==================== # #@#¤@%*=-¨
¨-=*%@¤#@# * 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. #@@@¤%=~^¨
¨--*^£§@## ##@§£^*--¨
,:»=*£@£## ##£@£*=»:,
¨~»»:\;%£# #£%;\:»»~¨
¨-«;%*#@¶@ @¶@#*%;«-¨
¨.¨.:-*;†¤ ¤†;*-:.¨.¨