,,,,:~†%@@ @@%†~:,,,,
,,,:~†%@@# #@@%†~:,,,
,,:~†%@@## ##@@%†~:,,
,:~†%@@### ###@@%†~:,
,,:~†%@@## ##@@%†~:,,
,,,:~†%@@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@@%†~:,,,
,,,,:~†%@@ † 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. ¨ ###¤£$=~~,
.,-~\*£§## »- , »«« ¨ «, ,~ « ##§£*\~-,.
¨..~«†^&§@ . -. ^ . @§&^†«~..¨
.¨¨¨.=*=%§ . ¨ , * §%=*=.¨¨¨.
¨¨,¨¨.«:^@ @^:«.¨¨,¨¨
.,¨¨¨,,-=% ¨#, %=-,,¨¨¨,.
,,¨..,¨.»; ;».¨,..¨,,
,.,.,.¨,-« AND, «-,¨.,.,.,
.¨..,..^-: :-^..,..¨.
,¨.,,.-=^† NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. †^=-.,,.¨,
,.¨.,.~††& NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. &††~.,.¨.,
,¨¨¨^-**£@ @£**-^¨¨¨,
.,¨^«:^*@@ @@*^:«^¨,.
..,»\$£&## ##&£$\»,..
.:=:=%@### ###@%=:=:.
¨..~;=££## ##££=;~..¨