,,,»»/%%%# #%%%/»»,,,
,,,,,,:/%# #%/:,,,,,,
,:»/%%#@## ##@#%%/»:,
,,,,,://%# #%//:,,,,,
,:»/%%##@@ @@##%%/»:,
,,::///%## # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ##%///::,,
,:»/%%#@## / 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. @%†%~¨¨.¨¨
¨¨,,,»*##@ @##*»,,,¨¨
,^«†%@@#@# #@#@@%†«^,
.,,.,,,~§¤ ¤§~,,,.,,.
¨^«*/*$@¤£ £¤@$*/*«^¨
,^=**£@¶## ##¶@£**=^,