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