....-/§§## ##§§/-....
.~-/§&#@## ##@#&§/-~.
....~/§&££ ££&§/~....
....-/§§## ##§§/-....
......~/&£ £&/~......
...--/&#££ # -------------------- # ££#&/--...
.~-/§&#£@@ / 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. ¤$@*»,...,
.,,,»==£&£ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. £&£==»,,,.
,¨,-/\†*&§ §&*†\/-,¨,
¨~~\$£¤¶## ##¶¤£$\~~¨
,,.¨..,††& &††,..¨.,,
¨-«;†¤#£@# #@£#¤†;«-¨
,^»=†£#£## ##£#£†=»^,