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