¨¨¨¨~=%££& &££%=~¨¨¨¨
¨~~=%£&@## ##@&£%=~~¨
¨¨¨~==%%%& &%%%==~¨¨¨
¨~~=%£@### ###@£%=~~¨
¨~~=%£&@## ##@&£%=~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~=£@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @£=~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~=%£&### = 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. #@#&*%/--,
.,~-«/%%¤# #¤%%/«-~,.
,,«^%§#@@# #@@#§%^«,,
,,~;=££@@# #@@££=;~,,
..-,;=¤#¤# #¤#¤=;,-..
,,=^$%%£## ##£%%$^=,,