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