..=/$*#@@# #@@#*$/=..
..=/$*#@@# #@@#*$/=..
....../$#@ @#$/......
.....==/*@ @*/==.....
..===///*@ @*///===..
..=/$$**@@ # ==================== # @@**$$/=..
.......=$# / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS / #$=.......
......=$$# / IN A STALE TIMELINE, / #$$=......
..=/$*#@@# / BRANCHED WAY BACK / #@@#*$/=..
.....=/**@ / 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. @§/,¨.¨,.,
,-»/†$£#@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@#£$†/»-,
.,^.~*=£@¶ ¶@£=*~.^,.
,~»††$¤@@# #@@¤$††»~,
.,.¨,*£§£# #£§£*,¨.,.
,.~=†¤@£@# #@£@¤†=~.,
¨,,~**^%¤£ £¤%^**~,,¨