,-~:*%¤@## ##@¤%*:~-,
,,-~~~::%# #%::~~~-,,
,-~::*%%¤# #¤%%*::~-,
,-~:*%¤#@# #@#¤%*:~-,
,-~~::*¤## ##¤*::~~-,
,,,,,,-:%¤ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¤%:-,,,,,,
,,,,--~~*¤ : 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. @§§:=-,.,¨
,,«*%$@### NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ###@$%*«,,
,,~†*£§£@# #@£§£*†~,,
¨,.~,»^%$# #$%^»,~.,¨
,,,,=\%*§£ £§*%\=,,,,
.,~/§$§@@# #@@§$§/~,.
¨,-^†&@@## ##@@&†^-,¨