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