......-~^% %^~-......
.......-~^ ^~-.......
......-~^% %^~-......
.....-~^%* *%^~-.....
....-~^%*£ £*%^~-....
...-~^%*£@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @£*%^~-...
..-~^%*£@@ ^ 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. @@*†;~,.,.
,...-«†%££ ££%†«-...,
¨¨,¨¨,~†%* *%†~,¨¨,¨¨
¨,,,¨¨,«†§ §†«,¨¨,,,¨
¨¨,¨.,.-«* *«-.,.¨,¨¨
,,.¨¨¨.«\$ $\«.¨¨¨.,,