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