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