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