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