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