,,,,,:\$$£ £$$\:,,,,,
,,,,:\$$£@ @£$$\:,,,,
,,,:\$$£@# #@£$$\:,,,
,,:\$$£@## ##@£$$\:,,
,:\$$£@### ###@£$$\:,
,,:\$$£@## # -------------------- # ##@£$$\:,,
,,,:\$$£@# \ 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. /^..,¨¨¨.¨
...,,.,~\% %\~,.,,...
¨.,¨,¨~†$£ £$†~¨,¨,.¨
,..¨,:=§@§ §@§=:,¨..,
¨,¨,:;$&@@ @@&$;:,¨,¨
...-^^$&@# #@&$^^-...