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