...»»»:*&@ @&*:»»»...
..»:*&¶@## ##@¶&*:»..
..»:*&&&@@ @@&&&*:»..
..»:*&@¶@# #@¶@&*:»..
..»:*&@¶@# #@¶@&*:»..
..»:*&@¶@# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #@¶@&*:»..
..»:*&@¶@# : 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. @*=:«,,¨¨¨
,^~;†&@@@# #@@@&†;~^,
,:=/%&@@## ##@@&%/=:,
.:=^%=*§#@ @#§*=%^=:.
,~»;*&§@## ##@§&*;»~,
¨.-*=§£@## ##@£§=*-.¨