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