,,,,,,~%@@ @@%~,,,,,,
,,,~~:%@¶¶ ¶¶@%:~~,,,
,,,:~~~:@@ @@:~~~:,,,
,:~:%@@¶@# #@¶@@%:~:,
,,,,,,:~%@ @%~:,,,,,,
,:~:%@@¶@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@¶@@%:~:,
,:~:%@@¶¶@ : 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. ##@@@%;-~.
.:~*=$&£## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##£&$=*~:.
,--^=&#### ####&=^--,
,,.,~-§*$¤ ¤$*§-~,.,,
.,.,«*§@£@ @£@§*«,.,.
,^~†*§#@## ##@#§*†~^,
.-»%$£#@## ##@#£$%»-.