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