,,,»†$*@@# #@@*$†»,,,
,,,,»†$*@@ @@*$†»,,,,
,,,,,»†$*@ @*$†»,,,,,
,,,,,,»†$* *$†»,,,,,,
,,,,,,,»†$ $†»,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,»† # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # †»,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,» † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS † »,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, † IN A STALE TIMELINE, † ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,» † BRANCHED WAY BACK † »,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,»† † WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR † †»,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,»†$ † 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. ^~^.,,¨¨,.
,¨.,,.¨¨,~ ~,¨¨.,,.¨,
,¨,¨¨,,¨¨, ,¨¨,,¨¨,¨,
¨¨,¨.¨,,^~ ~^,,¨.¨,¨¨
¨.,,.,.-=: :=-.,.,,.¨
,,,¨,.,~^% %^~,.,¨,,,