.......=†& &†=.......
..=††&@### ###@&††=..
......†§&# #&§†......
..=††§&@## ##@&§††=..
..=††§&&&# #&&&§††=..
..=††§&@## # ==================== # ##@&§††=..
....====†& † 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. ##£¤¤^=»-,
,-=^$&§¶#@ @#¶§&$^=-,
,,~*$$¤#@# #@#¤$$*~,,
.^~^^*¤@@# #@@¤*^^~^.
,.-^$*¤### ###¤*$^-.,
¨^»*$£&@@# #@@&£$*»^¨