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