¨¨¨»==%¤¤¤ ¤¤¤%==»¨¨¨
¨~»=%¤¤### ###¤¤%=»~¨
¨¨¨¨¨»%¤## ##¤%»¨¨¨¨¨
¨~»=%%%¤¤¤ ¤¤¤%%%=»~¨
¨~»=%¤¤### ###¤¤%=»~¨
¨~»=%¤¤### # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ###¤¤%=»~¨
¨~»=%¤¤### = 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. #@£§*$==,.
..,...~%*§ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. §*%~...,..
,,~^$&¤### ###¤&$^~,,
,:-;**¤¶## ##¶¤**;-:,
¨:~:=^@%#@ @#%@^=:~:¨
¨--=†%#### ####%†=--¨
¨¨.¨::=%$# #$%=::¨.¨¨