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