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