.-»:§§$$$£ £$$$§§:»-.
.-»:§$£@@# #@@£$§:»-.
....-»§££@ @££§»-....
.-»:§§$$@@ @@$$§§:»-.
.-»:§$£££@ @£££$§:»-.
.-»:§$££@@ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # @@££$§:»-.
.-»:§$£@@# : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS : #@@£$§:»-.
...»»:$££@ : IN A STALE TIMELINE, : @££$:»»...
.-»:§$££@@ : BRANCHED WAY BACK : @@££$§:»-.
.-»:§$£@## : WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR : ##@£$§:»-.
.-»:§$£@@# : WAS ALMOST BARREN, : #@@£$§:»-.
.-»:§§§$££ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ££$§§§:»-.
....-:§$$@ AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, @$$§:-....
...-»§$£££ : AT ALL... : £££$§»-...
.-»:§$£@@# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #@@£$§:»-.
¨¨~«~^=%@¶ ¶@%=^~«~¨¨
¨¨,.»*$%§¤ MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ¤§%$*».,¨¨
¨,«/%@¤### 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. ¶§†:~~.¨¨¨
.,»/=*£### ###£*=/»,.
¨,.¨,:~*## ##*~:,¨.,¨
,^»^%£¤@## ##@¤£%^»^,
,.,-\:@*## ##*@:\-,.,
¨¨¨.~^£@§# #§@£^~.¨¨¨