...,~;*%&# #&%*;~,...
..,~;*%&## ##&%*;~,..
.,~;*%&### ###&%*;~,.
..,~;*%&## ##&%*;~,..
...,~;*%&# #&%*;~,...
....,~;*%& # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # &%*;~,....
.....,~;*% ; 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. ¤&*^«~,¨,,
¨..¨,~«;*& &*;«~,¨..¨
¨..,,~\%¤& &¤%\~,,..¨
¨¨¨~=:$&£# #£&$:=~¨¨¨
,¨,-†^£§## ##§£^†-,¨,
¨-~/*%@@## ##@@%*/~-¨