......//$£ £$//......
....~%%$## ##$%%~....
..~/%$£### ###£$%/~..
..~/%$£### ###£$%/~..
..~/%$£### ###£$%/~..
..~/%$£### # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ###£$%/~..
..~/%%$$$# / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS / #$$$%%/~..
....~/%£## / 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# ###&¤**~.¨
¨¨¨:\:$#£# #*OF£¤EXACTLY§@HOW&THEY@HAD&TRAVELED,$# #£#$:\:¨¨¨
.,~=»~;^@# #¤OF¤THE@WAY#HOME#@TO¶THE#TIME#FROM£¶ #@^;~»=~,.
,^~/*£@### #¶WHERE#THEY@CAME,###@##@AND#THEN###@ ###@£*/~^,
.~«/^£&¶## #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE*« ##¶&£^/«~.
,,~^*&¤@## «=BEING ~ STOLEN ~~ FROM ~~« THEM. ¨ ##@¤&*^~,,
,--^=¤¤¶@@ ~~ , ~»~ . -. ^- ~ @@¶¤¤=^--,
.-~†§@&@## , ,, , , ##@&@§†~-.
¨^»=$*£@¶@ , , ¨ $ @¶@£*$=»^¨
,,~\%*§#@# #@#§*%\~,,
¨,¨~=*££&@ ¨#¨ @&££*=~¨,¨
.:-:*£#### ####£*:-:.
,¨,--»^£§@ AND, @§£^»--,¨,
.¨¨¨.^^**@ @**^^.¨¨¨.
¨¨..¨»†*£¶ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¶£*†»¨..¨¨
.,-\§@£### NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ###£@§\-,.
¨¨,¨..^$¶# #¶$^..¨,¨¨
¨,«;%¤#& #&¤%;«,¨
.^=†**¤### ###¤**†=^.
,,¨.,»»§§# #§§»»,.¨,,
¨.»†*@§### ###§@*†».¨