,,,,:;*££@ @££*;:,,,,
,,,,,,:;£@ @£;:,,,,,,
,:~;*£§@@# #@@§£*;~:,
,:~;*£§@@@ @@@§£*;~:,
,,,~~*££§§ §§££*~~,,,
,,,~;;;££@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @££;;;~,,,
,,,,,~~**§ ; 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. ##@#@%\=:,
¨.¨¨.,,»$¤ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¤$»,,.¨¨.¨
¨,»\%£&¶## ##¶&£%\»,¨
,-»=$$§¶#@ @#¶§$$=»-,
,¨¨,.,=^*§ §*^=,.,¨¨,
¨..:,,~~=¤ ¤=~~,,:..¨
~»^%$¤@@## ##@@¤$%^»~