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