..~^%$#¶@# #@¶#$%^~..
......^^$¶ ¶$^^......
....~~^$$# #$$^~~....
..~^%$#¶@# #@¶#$%^~..
......~^$# #$^~......
..~^%$#¶@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@¶#$%^~..
...~~~^%#¶ ^ 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, #@#¤£$*«~,
.,~\*@#### ####@*\~,.
.«\^@£@@## NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ##@@£@^\«.
¨¨,.,~~;%& NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. &%;~~,.,¨¨
,,-/*&¤@@# #@@¤&*/-,,
,..,,:%$#£ £#$%:,,..,
.~~*^%§@@# #@@§%^*~~.
,,«;=¤¶### ###¶¤=;«,,
..¨¨,,,†¤@ @¤†,,,¨¨..