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