,,,,,,,~;* *;~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~;*$ $*;~,,,,,,
,,,,,~;*$§ §$*;~,,,,,
,,,,~;*$§@ @§$*;~,,,,
,,,~;*$§@# #@§$*;~,,,
,,~;*$§@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@§$*;~,,
,,,~;*$§@# ; 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 $$\~:¨,...
,..,~~;=§¤ LIQUID FLOWS INTO HIS MIND. THE OTHERS, ¤§=;~~,..,
.,¨-«;^$@# ~ NOT UNDERSTANDING THE~DANGER, MOVE #@$^;«-¨,.
¨,^~†*¤££# CLOSER TO HELP THEIR,FRIEND. #££¤*†~^,¨
¨.~=%@@£@# , = = . ¨ #@£@@%=~.¨
,,,-\*%@@@ AND¨THEN.THE,POOL¨ANNOUNCES.ITSELF @@@%*\-,,,
.¨,~~\†§£¶ TO¨THEM,-.SUDDEN,~.THOUGHTS.OF. ¶£§†\~~,¨.
¨¨,,^-\%$& ,.»DARK«WOLVES«.CLIMBING,OUT^OF.:^- &$%\-^,,¨¨
¨,,..--:*@ ---THE«POOL,=SURROUNDING;THEM^-/†= @*:--..,,¨
¨¨¨,,,:~/$ =SUDDEN/THOUGHTS;OF»«^CLIMBING*†* $/~:,,,¨¨¨
¨¨,..¨¨--^ INTO†THE/POOL,%THEIR^THIRST%FLARING† ^--¨¨..,¨¨
¨¨,¨,,.,.» *†^BRIGHT*-%$A%SUDDEN¤£AWARENESS# ».,.,,¨,¨¨
¨.,,.,¨,«: #§OF%@EXACTLY£#HOW&THEY§HAD§TRAVELED,*# :«,¨,.,,.¨
,..¨¨,^~^* #§OF&THE£WAY@HOME#£TO#THE#TIME¶FROM¶¶ *^~^,¨¨..,
¨.¨,¨-~^*¤ ##WHERE#THEY@CAME,#######AND@THEN#### ¤*^~-¨,¨.¨
¨..¨-«:^§¤ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS$KNOWLEDGE^» ¤§^:«-¨..¨
.,.~~**&&@ »=BEING = STOLEN «» FROM ~-» THEM. , @&&**~~.,.
¨.,=/%$§£@ -= . »=~ . -, ^- » @£§$%/=,.¨
¨,~††£##@# . ~^ , ¨ #@##£††~,¨
.¨,»;*%@## . , . ^ ##@%*;»,¨.
¨..:»^^@§@ @§@^^»:..¨
.¨¨¨.-^*§¤ .#. ¤§*^-.¨¨¨.
¨¨,,,,»:*¤ ¤*:»,,,,¨¨
,,¨,,,,=\* AND, *\=,,,,¨,,
.¨¨,¨¨¨^~= =~^¨¨¨,¨¨.
....,.¨.,~ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ~,.¨.,....
,,¨.,,.-»* NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. *»-.,,.¨,,
¨...¨,.«/= =/«.,¨...¨
¨,,,¨^-=$$ $$=-^¨,,,¨
,¨,.:»=^&§ §&^=»:.,¨,
,¨,^»^†@## ##@†^»^,¨,
,.~»=†%§## ##§%†=»~.,