.~~^$*¶@## ##@¶*$^~~.
...~~^$*#¶ ¶#*$^~~...
.~~^$*#¶¶@ @¶¶#*$^~~.
....~~~^*¶ ¶*^~~~....
.~~^$***¶@ @¶***$^~~.
.~~^$#¶@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@¶#$^~~.
.~~^$*#¶@@ ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^ @@¶#*$^~~.
.~~^^^^**¶ ^ 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. ###&£%\»:¨
,:-*%@¤##@ @##¤@%*-:,
,,¨.,¨-%%£ £%%-¨,.¨,,
,..,¨,~^££ ££^~,¨,..,
.~~*=$£@@# #@@£$=*~~.
,,...-%§&@ @&§%-...,,