¨.=/†$¤¤#@ @#¤¤$†/=.¨
¨¨¨=//$$¤¤ ¤¤$$//=¨¨¨
¨¨.=/†$¤¤# #¤¤$†/=.¨¨
¨.=/†$¤#@# #@#¤$†/=.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.=/$¤ ¤$/=.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.=/††††¤# # ==================== # #¤††††/=.¨
¨.=/†$¤#@# / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS / #@#¤$†/=.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=†$¤ / IN A STALE TIMELINE, / ¤$†=¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨=////$¤ / BRANCHED WAY BACK / ¤$////=¨¨¨
¨¨..=///†¤ / 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. ###@%*;«-¨
,~-\%*#£## ##£#*%\-~,
,~~=$$@### ###@$$=~~,
..,.,¨~==# #==~¨,.,..
,.~\^@&@@# #@@&@^\~.,
.,,,,-:*%§ §%*:-,,,,.