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