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