..,~††&§@# #@§&††~,..
.,~††&§@## ##@§&††~,.
..,~††&§@# #@§&††~,..
...,~††&§@ @§&††~,...
..,~††&§@# #@§&††~,..
.,~††&§@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@§&††~,.
..,~††&§@# † 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, #£&$^;»,¨.
¨.¨^~/=$#£ £#$=/~^¨.¨
¨.^-†§@¤@# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #@¤@§†-^.¨
,~=/†*@@## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##@@*†/=~,
¨¨.«:§£&@# #@&£§:«.¨¨
.¨,,-\*¤## ##¤*\-,,¨.
,¨~«^**§@@ @@§**^«~¨,
¨^»/^$¤@@# #@@¤$^/»^¨
,.^~\%§@£# #£@§%\~^.,