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