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