,,,,:»/&&¤ ¤&&/»:,,,,
,,,:»/††¤@ @¤††/»:,,,
,:»»»//&&¤ ¤&&//»»»:,
,:»/†&@### ###@&†/»:,
,,,,»»»/&@ @&/»»»,,,,
,:»/†&¤@@# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #@@¤&†/»:,
,:»/†&¤@## / 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. . §§%«-^.,.,
.¨¨-~%*%%& »~ ¨ ~~~ , ~. ~» = &%%*%~-¨¨.
¨~~^*%@£@# . -, - , #@£@%*^~~¨
,,~*%†^@§# . , . * #§@^†%*~,,
,¨¨.^«;$$# #$$;«^.¨¨,
¨,¨¨¨-~/$£ ¨#, £$/~-¨¨¨,¨
,.¨.,-%$$¶ ¶$$%-,.¨.,
.,¨¨,,*$$@ AND, @$$*,,¨¨,.
,.¨~††*#£# #£#*††~¨.,
,¨..=--*$@ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. @$*--=..¨,
,~»*$§¤@## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##@¤§$*»~,
.:=^†¤¤@@# #@@¤¤†^=:.
.:~*^%@£@# #@£@%^*~:.
,..¨¨-§†£& &£†§-¨¨..,
,^-;§&@@## ##@@&§;-^,
,-=^†&$&## ##&$&†^=-,