,,,,~*^$¤# #¤$^*~,,,,
,,,~*^$¤## ##¤$^*~,,,
,,~*^$¤### ###¤$^*~,,
,,,~*^$¤## ##¤$^*~,,,
,,,,~*^$¤# #¤$^*~,,,,
,,,,,~*^$¤ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¤$^*~,,,,,
,,,,~*^$¤# * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * #¤$^*~,,,,
,,,~*^$¤## * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ##¤$^*~,,,
,,~*^$¤### * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ###¤$^*~,,
,,,~*^$¤## * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ##¤$^*~,,,
,,,,~*^$¤# * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * #¤$^*~,,,,
,,,,,~*^$¤ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¤$^*~,,,,,
,,,,~*^$¤# AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, #¤$^*~,,,,
,,,~*^$¤## * AT ALL... * ##¤$^*~,,,
,,~*^$¤### # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ###¤$^*~,,
,.:«*^%¤#@ @#¤%^*«:.,
¨...«^†@§# 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. @@¤¤^*-,¨.
¨,,-~^%$§# #§$%^~-,,¨
¨,,,,«*%%£ £%%*«,,,,¨
¨.,~-*=@&# #&@=*-~,.¨
,.-»;†¤£@# #@£¤†;»-.,
¨.~*$%&¶@# #@¶&%$*~.¨