....-»:=§@ @§=:»-....
...-»:=§@# #@§=:»-...
..-»:=§@## ##@§=:»-..
.-»:=§@### ###@§=:»-.
..-»:=§@## ##@§=:»-..
...-»:=§@# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #@§=:»-...
....-»:=§@ : 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. @*^-,..¨,.
.¨...«^$$# #$$^«...¨.
,.,,~:**#@ @#**:~,,.,
,¨,«*^@### ###@^*«,¨,
,,~\§@@¶@# #@¶@@§\~,,
¨,,«^†£¤@# #@¤£†^«,,¨