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