,,,.»»*§¤# #¤§*»».,,,
,,,»»»%%%¤ ¤%%%»»»,,,
,,,,,,,»%¤ ¤%»,,,,,,,
,,,,,,»%%¤ ¤%%»,,,,,,
,,,,»*%%%¤ ¤%%%*»,,,,
,,,,»*§§## # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ##§§*»,,,,
,,,,...»%¤ * 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# ###@#$†«^¨
.,,.,=~;*¤ #£OF§&EXACTLY§#HOW#THEY@HAD&TRAVELED,@# ¤*;~=,.,,.
.¨.¨,««*@@ #@OF@THE#WAY¶HOME#@TO¶THE@TIME#FROM#¶ @@*««,¨.¨.
¨,~*^¤&¶## #@WHERE@THEY#CAME,#######AND@THEN#### ##¶&¤^*~,¨
,,«\£@@@## #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS^KNOWLEDGE\- ##@@@£\«,,
¨~~\%%@@## -~BEING » STOLEN ~~ FROM ~»~ THEM. , ##@@%%\~~¨
,.¨.,:«^*# «~ . =»~ , », ,~ - #*^«:,.¨.,
.¨,¨«%†£&@ ~ ,- : , @&£†%«¨,¨.
,,=^%£#### ¨ . . † ####£%^=,,
,^~\†$##@@ @@##$†\~^,
¨,~†*¤§@## ¨#, ##@§¤*†~,¨
..¨¨.=»==£ £==»=.¨¨..
.,~/$§$§#£ AND, £#§$§$/~,.
,¨¨¨~/§$¤@ @¤$§/~¨¨¨,
,,..~»-*¤# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #¤*-»~..,,
.^~=%£§£@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@£§£%=~^.
,,,.~=*§@# #@§*=~.,,,
,¨¨:;;:**@ @**:;;:¨¨,
,~«*$¤@### ###@¤$*«~,
,,,.»§=§^§ §^§=§».,,,
.¨..,^:†&¶ ¶&†:^,..¨.