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