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