,,,,,,,^== ==^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^==$ $==^,,,,,,
,,,,,^==$§ §$==^,,,,,
,,,,^==$§£ £§$==^,,,,
,,,^==$§£¶ ¶£§$==^,,,
,,^==$§£¶# # ==================== # #¶£§$==^,,
,^==$§£¶## = 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. &£*=-,¨¨,¨
.¨,,,.«;^@ @^;«.,,,¨.
....,..-/= =/-..,....
,,¨,.¨.-=: :=-.¨.,¨,,
¨.,¨..,¨.- -.¨,..¨,.¨
.,¨¨¨.,¨,, ,,¨,.¨¨¨,.