,,~-†*¤£@# #@£¤*†-~,,
,~-†*¤£@## ##@£¤*†-~,
,,~-†*¤£@# #@£¤*†-~,,
,,,~-†*¤£@ @£¤*†-~,,,
,,,,~-†*¤£ £¤*†-~,,,,
,,,,,~-†*¤ # -------------------- # ¤*†-~,,,,,
,,,,,,~-†* † 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. ,,¨,..¨¨¨.
¨..,¨,,..¨ ¨..,,¨,..¨
...,,¨.,¨¨ ¨¨,.¨,,...
.¨.¨¨,¨,¨. .¨,¨,¨¨.¨.
¨,,.¨.,..~ ~..,.¨.,,¨
,,,..¨¨¨-~ ~-¨¨¨..,,,