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