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