,.~;§@@### ###@@§;~.,
,.~;$§@@## ##@@§$;~.,
,.~;$§@@## ##@@§$;~.,
,,,.~$§@@# #@@§$~.,,,
,,,,,,~~$@ @$~~,,,,,,
,.~;$§@@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@@§$;~.,
,,,~~~~$@@ ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; @@$~~~~,,,
,.~;$§@@## ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ; ##@@§$;~.,
,,,,~$§@@# ; BRANCHED WAY BACK ; #@@§$~,,,,
,,,~~;$$§@ ; WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ; @§$$;~~,,,
,.~;$@@### ; WAS ALMOST BARREN, ; ###@@$;~.,
,,,..~~$@# COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, #@$~~..,,,
,.~;$§@@## AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ##@@§$;~.,
,,,,~;;§@@ ; 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. #@£¤*$/«,¨
.¨,.¨=^&¤¶ ¶¤&^=¨.,¨.
,..¨-~«=$§ §$=«~-¨..,
.:»=*&§£## ##£§&*=»:.
,,¨^~§§*@£ £@*§§~^¨,,
,,-\*$@@@# #@@@$*\-,,