....-=%### ###%=-....
..-=§%#### ####%§=-..
..-=§%#### ####%§=-..
..-=§%#### ####%§=-..
..-=§%#### ####%§=-..
....-=%%%# # -------------------- # #%%%=-....
..-=§%#### = 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, @££@*/,-:¨
¨.¨.:\$§## ##§$\:.¨.¨
¨.¨.¨¨~††¤ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¤††~¨¨.¨.¨
¨:~=*§§#@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@#§§*=~:¨
,¨-«-:\%£@ @£%\:-«-¨,
¨~=††%#¶## ##¶#%††=~¨
¨-===¤£### ###£¤===-¨
,.,~-*%$§& &§$%*-~,.,
..,,¨,~%*¤ ¤*%~,¨,,..