,,,,:**¤¤@ @¤¤**:,,,,
,:»**£¤@@# #@@¤£**»:,
,:»**£¤@@# #@@¤£**»:,
,:»**£¤@@# #@@¤£**»:,
,,,,:**£@@ @@£**:,,,,
,:»**£¤@@# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #@@¤£**»:,
,,:»***¤¤@ * 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. #*&%;†=»..
¨,~:§&&£## ##£&&§:~,¨
,,¨¨:~=^&# #&^=~:¨¨,,
¨..,«««^%# #%^«««,..¨
.,~^*$@#@# #@#@$*^~,.
,,.¨,~-^§@ @§^-~,¨.,,