,,-~^%*#£# #£#*%^~-,,
,-~^%*#£## ##£#*%^~-,
,,-~^%*#£# #£#*%^~-,,
,,,-~^%*#£ £#*%^~-,,,
,,,,-~^%*# #*%^~-,,,,
,,,,,-~^%* # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # *%^~-,,,,,
,,,,,,-~^% ^ 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# ,.,.,.¨.,.
,¨¨¨,.¨,.. #$OF§#EXACTLY§£HOW&THEY@HAD@TRAVELED,¤# ..,¨.,¨¨¨,
¨¨...¨¨,.. #&OF¤THE@WAY#HOME#@TO@THE£TIME¶FROM@@ ..,¨¨...¨¨
,,,,¨...¨. #@WHERE#THEY#CAME,##@@###AND#THEN##@@ .¨...¨,,,,
,¨.¨¨,¨.¨. #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE;- .¨.¨,¨¨.¨,
..,,¨.,,¨, ~«BEING = STOLEN ~- FROM ~-» THEM. , ,¨,,.¨,,..
¨¨.,,,,.,= «~ . ~-~ . ~¨ :« = =,.,,,,.¨¨
,¨,¨,,.^»/ , .^ , . /»^.,,¨,¨,
,¨¨.,.~-^† . , . % †^-~.,.¨¨,
..,,¨~-/*% %*/-~¨,,..
,¨¨,,«†§&¤ .#¨ ¤&§†«,,¨¨,
,.,,=†%$#¶ ¶#$%†=,,.,
,¨~~;§§@## AND, ##@§§;~~¨,
¨^«==@@¶## ##¶@@==«^¨
¨¨^=*%£¤## NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ##¤£%*=^¨¨
.,,,«^*££# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #££*^«,,,.
.,.¨,»/$£& &£$/»,¨.,.
,.¨¨,,-:†£ £†:-,,¨¨.,
,..,.,:-\$ $\-:,.,..,
¨¨¨¨,¨.:-= =-:.¨,¨¨¨¨
,,¨¨¨,.¨~- -~¨.,¨¨¨,,