,,,,,,~\$$ $$\~,,,,,,
,,,,,~\$$£ £$$\~,,,,,
,,,,~\$$£# #£$$\~,,,,
,,,~\$$£## ##£$$\~,,,
,,~\$$£### ###£$$\~,,
,,,~\$$£## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##£$$\~,,,
,,,,~\$$£# \ 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. *=»~,...,,
..¨,,.,,~= =~,,.,,¨..
,..,,,-«*† †*«-,,,..,
¨¨¨¨,-~=^% %^=~-,¨¨¨¨
,..¨^~**§¤ ¤§**~^¨..,
¨¨.,=^^$¤# #¤$^^=,.¨¨