...-«%$§@# #@§$%«-...
..-«%$§@## ##@§$%«-..
.-«%$§@### ###@§$%«-.
..-«%$§@## ##@§$%«-..
...-«%$§@# #@§$%«-...
....-«%$§@ # «««««««««««««««««««« # @§$%«-....
...-«%$§@# ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^ #@§$%«-...
..-«%$§@## ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^ ##@§$%«-..
.-«%$§@### ^ BRANCHED WAY BACK ^ ###@§$%«-.
..-«%$§@## ^ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ^ ##@§$%«-..
...-«%$§@# ^ WAS ALMOST BARREN, ^ #@§$%«-...
....-«%$§@ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, @§$%«-....
...-«%$§@# AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, #@§$%«-...
..-«%$§@## ^ AT ALL... ^ ##@§$%«-..
.-«%$§@### # «««««««««««««««««««« # ###@§$%«-.
¨¨.»*§#@## ##@#§*».¨¨
,,¨:~$@£## MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ##£@$~:¨,,
,..¨.~$$§# LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, #§$$~.¨..,
¨.,.»$¤&@# FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND #@&¤$».,.¨
¨,,~=$#@## ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND. ##@#$=~,,¨
.:~^$##### IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY, #####$^~:.
.¨~~=*#£@# 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. ##@£@*«-.¨
¨¨,~-%$@#@ @#@$%-~,¨¨
..,,~=^¤#£ £#¤^=~,,..
¨,¨-~^£¤@@ @@¤£^~-¨,¨
...-*&£@@# #@@£&*-...
.,~^*#£### ###£#*^~,.