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