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