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