,,,,~§**¤¶ ¶¤**§~,,,,
,,,,~~/§¤¤ ¤¤§/~~,,,,
,~~/§§§¤¤¶ ¶¤¤§§§/~~,
,~~/§**¤¶# #¶¤**§/~~,
,,,,~~/*¤¶ ¶¤*/~~,,,,
,,,~/§§¤¤# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #¤¤§§/~,,,
,~~//§§¤¶# / 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. #@£&&%;=:,
.^=^^£¶### ###¶£^^=^.
¨.~=%£#@## ##@#£%=~.¨
,¨¨,¨,:*@£ £@*:,¨,¨¨,
¨.~*^$&£@# #@£&$^*~.¨
¨^«;*$@¶@# #@¶@$*;«^¨