,,,,,^~**@ @**~^,,,,,
,,,,^~**@& &@**~^,,,,
,,,^~**@&# #&@**~^,,,
,,^~**@&#@ @#&@**~^,,
,^~**@&#@# #@#&@**~^,
,,^~**@&#@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @#&@**~^,,
,,,^~**@&# * 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. *†~.¨¨.¨¨,
,,¨¨,..-=/ /=-..,¨¨,,
,¨.¨¨¨.¨:- -:¨.¨¨¨.¨,
¨¨.,..¨.¨~ ~¨.¨..,.¨¨
,¨,,¨.¨,,¨ ¨,,¨.¨,,¨,
¨,,,¨,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,¨,,,¨