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