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