,,,,:***¤# #¤***:,,,,
,:~*^^^*¤# #¤*^^^*~:,
,:~*^*¤@## ##@¤*^*~:,
,:~*^*¤@## ##@¤*^*~:,
,:~*^*¤@@# #@@¤*^*~:,
,:~*^*@### # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ###@*^*~:,
,,,~*^^^¤¤ * 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, @@#^§-,¨,,
.,~«-^*¤#@ @#¤*^-«~,.
.,»;§$#@@# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #@@#$§;»,.
¨^«*$$#£## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##£#$$*«^¨
,,~;*§#### ####§*;~,,
,,..¨.«**@ @**«.¨..,,
¨:»;%%£#@# #@#£%%;»:¨
..,¨-«†%§# #§%†«-¨,..
.-~;†£#@## ##@#£†;~-.