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