.:~=^¤@@## ##@@¤^=~:.
..:~=^¤@@# #@@¤^=~:..
...:~=^¤@@ @@¤^=~:...
..:~=^¤@@# #@@¤^=~:..
.:~=^¤@@## ##@@¤^=~:.
..:~=^¤@@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@@¤^=~:..
...:~=^¤@@ = 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. #@#%^†»^,.
,.,,»*§%¤# #¤%§*»,,.,
¨¨,==*@@## ##@@*==,¨¨
,.-*†¤¤### ###¤¤†*-.,
..~=:†%£@@ @@£%†:=~..
¨,,^-**§&@ @&§**-^,,¨