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