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