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