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