,~»=%&@#@# #@#@&%=»~,
,,~»=%&@#@ @#@&%=»~,,
,,,~»=%&@# #@&%=»~,,,
,,,,~»=%&@ @&%=»~,,,,
,,,,,~»=%& &%=»~,,,,,
,,,,,,~»=% # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # %=»~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~»= = 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. ##£*%†~,¨.
¨,~:*@@@## ##@@@*:~,¨
,¨,»†=£@#@ @#@£=†»,¨,
..,-»/§£@@ @@£§/»-,..
..,,,-:%£& &£%:-,,,..
.¨.¨¨:==*& &*==:¨¨.¨.