,,»^^£&&&& &&&&£^^»,,
,,»^^£££&& &&£££^^»,,
,,»^^£&&&# #&&&£^^»,,
,,,,»^^^&# #&^^^»,,,,
,,»^^£&### ###&£^^»,,
,,»^£&#### # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ####&£^»,,
,,,,^^^£&# ^ 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. #*/,.¨..,.
..,¨¨.,~^@ @^~,.¨¨,..
¨:~%§££@## ##@££§%~:¨
¨¨¨.^=\$%¶ ¶%$\=^.¨¨¨
,:»†††^*&# #&*^†††»:,
.^~:*£££## ##£££*:~^.