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