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