..«=$@@### ###@@$=«..
..«=$@@### ###@@$=«..
.......=@@ @@=.......
.....«$$@@ @@$$«.....
.....=$@## ##@$=.....
.....«$@@# # «««««««««««««««««««« # #@@$«.....
..«=$@@### = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS = ###@@$=«..
..«=$@@### = IN A STALE TIMELINE, = ###@@$=«..
......==@@ = 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/~ #@£&$†;~-,
¨.»;†&¤### =-BEING ~ STOLEN «- FROM ~«~ THEM. . ###¤&†;».¨
,,¨,~%^#@# «= ¨ »=~ ¨ ~¨ ~- « #@#^%~,¨,,
,,.,.,»%&# ^ ,. . . #&%»,.,.,,
¨¨¨,¨,/££# ¨ ¨ , * #££/,¨,¨¨¨
,^~;$%&@@@ @@@&%$;~^,
¨:~\=@&¶@# ,#, #@¶&@=\~:¨
...~~**^@& &@^**~~...
¨-~\%¤§£@# AND, #@£§¤%\~-¨
,^=†§&#### ####&§†=^,
¨-\=¤§@### NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ###@§¤=\-¨
..=\=&££## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##££&=\=..
.,¨¨:;/%¤@ @¤%/;:¨¨,.
.--»«\^*§@ @§*^\«»--.
.^»^^$@@## ##@@$^^»^.
.,¨¨~~«*§¤ ¤§*«~~¨¨,.
,,~:$%&### ###&%$:~,,