,,~*$§¤@## ##@¤§$*~,,
,,~*$§¤@## ##@¤§$*~,,
,,*$§¤@### ###@¤§$*,,
,,~*$§¤@@@ @@@¤§$*~,,
,,~*$§¤@## ##@¤§$*~,,
,,~*$§¤@@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@@¤§$*~,,
,,~*$§§§¤# * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * #¤§§§$*~,,
,,~*$§¤@## * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ##@¤§$*~,,
,,~*$$$§¤# * BRANCHED WAY BACK * #¤§$$$*~,,
,,~*$§¤@## * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ##@¤§$*~,,
,,~*$§¤@## * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ##@¤§$*~,,
,,~*$§¤@## COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ##@¤§$*~,,
,,~*$§¤@## AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ##@¤§$*~,,
,,~~**$$¤# * AT ALL... * #¤$$**~~,,
,,~*$§¤@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@¤§$*~,,
.,.,^,*$§£ £§$*,^,.,.
,.¨~=»*¤## 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. ##@&@==~-.
,-~:^&£@## ##@£&^:~-,
.,~/=%¤### ###¤%=/~,.
.-~=;\§@£# #£@§\;=~-.
,-«*†£&@## ##@&£†*«-,
.,«/%$@@## ##@@$%/«,.