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