,,=/$£#### ####£$/=,,
,,,,=$$£#@ @#£$$=,,,,
,,=/$£##@# #@##£$/=,,
,,,,,=$£#@ @#£$=,,,,,
,,,,,,//£# #£//,,,,,,
,,=/$£##@# # ==================== # #@##£$/=,,
,,=/$£#### / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS / ####£$/=,,
,,=/$£##@# / IN A STALE TIMELINE, / #@##£$/=,,
,,,==/$$£# / BRANCHED WAY BACK / #£$$/==,,,
,,=/$£##@# / WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR / #@##£$/=,,
,,,===/$## / WAS ALMOST BARREN, / ##$/===,,,
,,=/$£##@# COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, #@##£$/=,,
,,,,,==$## AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ##$==,,,,,
,,,,,,,=$# / AT ALL... / #$=,,,,,,,
,,,=//$$$# # ==================== # #$$$//=,,,
...,~†^%§£ £§%^†~,...
,¨,¨,¨~%@# 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. ##£&$^†«-,
,-~=*£#@## ##@#£*=~-,
.~~†*¤¤### ###¤¤*†~~.
,..,»=*%@@ @@%*=»,..,
,^=*=£§@## ##@§£=*=^,
,.~†§§## ###&§§†~.,