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