,,,=;^$&## ##&$^;=,,,
,,=;^$&### ###&$^;=,,
,,,=;^$&## ##&$^;=,,,
,,,,=;^$&# #&$^;=,,,,
,,,,,=;^$& &$^;=,,,,,
,,,,,,=;^$ # ==================== # $^;=,,,,,,
,,,,,,,=;^ ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ^;=,,,,,,,
,,,,,,=;^$ ; 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, *=»,¨.,,¨,
.,¨¨,^~^†§ §†^~^,¨¨,.
¨,,,,~:$¤¤ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¤¤$:~,,,,¨
..¨,~*=$@£ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. £@$=*~,¨..
.,^«*%%¤@@ @@¤%%*«^,.
.-~:*§¤### ###¤§*:~-.
,.:=*$%§£# #£§%$*=:.,
¨,.-»/%§§@ @§§%/»-.,¨
¨,¨.,»^=$¤ ¤$=^»,.¨,¨