,:-\%¤#@## ##@#¤%\-:,
,:-\%¤#### ####¤%\-:,
,,,,-\¤¤¤# #¤¤¤\-,,,,
,:-\%¤#@@@ @@@#¤%\-:,
,,,,,--%¤@ @¤%--,,,,,
,:-\%¤#@## # -------------------- # ##@#¤%\-:,
,,,,,-%%#@ \ 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. ####&§;=-.
.-=*^¤£@## ##@£¤^*=-.
,,»=†=%£&@ @&£%=†=»,,
,¨¨,,¨:~*# #*~:¨,,¨¨,
¨--^=^¤%£# #£%¤^=^--¨
.,»:^&@@## ##@@&^:»,.