,,,,,^^@@¤ ¤@@^^,,,,,
,,~^^^%%¤¤ ¤¤%%^^^~,,
,,,,,,,^%¤ ¤%^,,,,,,,
,,,,~%%%¤¤ ¤¤%%%~,,,,
,,~^%@¤@@@ @@@¤@%^~,,
,,~^%@@@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@@@%^~,,
,,,,~~^@@¤ ^ 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. #¶¶&$^;~-¨
.-~††££@## ##@££††~-.
,,-:†%#¶## ##¶#%†:-,,
¨¨.¨,:«^¤# #¤^«:,¨.¨¨
¨~»:†$%**¤ ¤**%$†:»~¨
¨.«**¤#£## ##£#¤**«.¨