¨¨¨¨¨,~\*# #*\~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~\%*##@# #@##*%\~,¨
¨¨¨~\\%%*# #*%%\\~¨¨¨
¨¨¨,\\%*## ##*%\\,¨¨¨
¨,~\%*##@# #@##*%\~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~%%*# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #*%%~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~%**#@ \ 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. ###§£^=»,¨
¨~«=§@@£## ##£@@§=«~¨
.,~\§@@#@# #@#@@§\~,.
,:~=†%§### ###§%†=~:,
¨,.^»~/¤£# #£¤/~»^.,¨
,.=^=§§#@# #@#§§=^=.,