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