.^»*^$@### ###@$^*»^.
.....»*$@@ @@$*».....
.^»*^$@### ###@$^*»^.
...^^»*^@# #@^*»^^...
.....^*^$@ @$^*^.....
....»»*^@# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #@^*»»....
.^»*^$@### * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ###@$^*»^.
....»*$$$@ * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * @$$$*»....
...»**$@@@ * BRANCHED WAY BACK * @@@$**»...
.^»*^$@### * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ###@$^*»^.
.^»*^$@### * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ###@$^*»^.
.....^*^@@ 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. @¶§§@*:-:.
,-=\§$¤### ###¤$§\=-,
.:»*$&£#@# #@#£&$*»:.
¨~«;%¤§### ###§¤%;«~¨
,¨,=-\@¤&@ @&¤@\-=,¨,
¨¨..¨«†$&£ £&$†«¨..¨¨