,.~=%&¤@## ##@¤&%=~.,
,,,,,,~%%¤ ¤%%~,,,,,,
,.~=%&¤@## ##@¤&%=~.,
,,,,..=&&¤ ¤&&=..,,,,
,,,,,.==&¤ ¤&==.,,,,,
,.~=%&¤@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@¤&%=~.,
,.~=%&¤@@# = 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. ####%^\~-¨
¨-=/%@¤¶## ##¶¤@%/=-¨
,¨,,,~-†§# #§†-~,,,¨,
,.~.;=†@&@ @&@†=;.~.,
,~~;%%&@@# #@@&%%;~~,
¨~«;§&#@## ##@#&§;«~¨