.~~/**&@@# #@@&**/~~.
.~~/**&@## ##@&**/~~.
...~~//**& &**//~~...
.~~/**&@## ##@&**/~~.
...~~~***@ @***~~~...
.~~/**&@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@&**/~~.
.~/**&@### / 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. &†\-^..¨.,
¨,,.»^£$@@ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. @@$£^».,,¨
,.«/%£§@## ##@§£%/«.,
¨.¨¨.-*=@@ @@=*-.¨¨.¨
¨.»;=¤§§¤# #¤§§¤=;».¨
..,....=%§ §%=....,..
,,~=§&&### ###&&§=~,,