.~~;%$@@## ##@@$%;~~.
.~~;%$@@## ##@@$%;~~.
.~~;%$@@@@ @@@@$%;~~.
.~~;%$@@## ##@@$%;~~.
....~;%$$@ @$$%;~....
.~~;%$@@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@@$%;~~.
.~~;%$@@## ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ##@@$%;~~.
......~~%@ ; 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. ¨ @§$^~¨,,¨¨
,~=**§###@ »» . ~»» . =, ^- = @###§**=~,
.¨¨,:.«%@@ ~ :. , , @@%«.:,¨¨.
¨.»/^$@@@# . ¨ ¨ * #@@@$^/».¨
.,-/†££### ###££†/-,.
¨,.-†*^*## .#¨ ##*^*†-.,¨
¨.~:=@£#@# #@#£@=:~.¨
¨¨,¨¨¨.*%¤ AND, ¤%*.¨¨¨,¨¨
.:»:^%*$&@ @&$*%^:»:.
¨~«=*@¤§#@ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. @#§¤@*=«~¨
,--:=*%# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##&%*=:--,
¨~~-†*£#£@ @£#£*†-~~¨
,.,.¨,;% #&%;,¨.,.,
,^«:^£§£## ##£§£^:«^,
,~«*^@##@# #@##@^*«~,
¨~«^$§## ###&§$^«~¨