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