,,,,^»†$%£ £%$†»^,,,,
,,,^»†$%£@ @£%$†»^,,,
,,^»†$%£@# #@£%$†»^,,
,^»†$%£@## ##@£%$†»^,
,,^»†$%£@# #@£%$†»^,,
,,,^»†$%£@ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # @£%$†»^,,,
,,,,^»†$%£ † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS † £%$†»^,,,,
,,,,,^»†$% † IN A STALE TIMELINE, † %$†»^,,,,,
,,,,,,^»†$ † 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. *=..,.¨¨.,
¨¨...¨,.:« «:.,¨...¨¨
¨¨,¨¨¨,.¨- -¨.,¨¨¨,¨¨
,,.¨,.,.,. .,.,.,¨.,,
¨¨.,,,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,,,.¨¨
,.,,,¨.¨,¨ ¨,¨.¨,,,.,