.....,~;&# #&;~,.....
..,~~†&&&& &&&&†~~,..
.,~;†&&@## ##@&&†;~,.
.....,;&&& &&&;,.....
.,~;†&&#@@ @@#&&†;~,.
...~~;&&#@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @#&&;~~...
.,~;†&&#@# ; 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. #@@&§*^~..
,,-*%%¤### ###¤%%*-,,
¨...«†*¤£@ @£¤*†«...¨
,¨,,~†*£*£ £*£*†~,,¨,
,,..,»†==# #==†»,..,,
,,.,¨,-:£# #£:-,¨,.,,