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