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