,^-:†&£#@# #@#£&†:-^,
,,^-:†&£#@ @#£&†:-^,,
,,,^-:†&£# #£&†:-^,,,
,,,,^-:†&£ £&†:-^,,,,
,,,,,^-:†& &†:-^,,,,,
,,,,,,^-:† # -------------------- # †:-^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^-: : 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. #@@@^;~^¨,
¨-~:†@#@## ##@#@†:~-¨
.,:~^%%£@@ @@£%%^~:,.
..¨~»;=@¤¶ ¶¤@=;»~¨..
¨,,¨,-†*$§ §$*†-,¨,,¨
.,,¨.~~†%@ @%†~~.¨,,.