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