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