:~††$&#@## ##@#&$††~:
.:~††$&#@# #@#&$††~:.
:~††$&#@## ##@#&$††~:
.:~††$&#@# #@#&$††~:.
:~††$&#@## ##@#&$††~:
.:~††$&#@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@#&$††~:.
:~††$&#@## † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS † ##@#&$††~:
.:~††$&#@# † IN A STALE TIMELINE, † #@#&$††~:.
:~††$&#@## † BRANCHED WAY BACK † ##@#&$††~:
.:~††$&#@# † WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR † #@#&$††~:.
:~††$&#@## † WAS ALMOST BARREN, † ##@#&$††~:
.:~††$&#@# COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, #@#&$††~:.
:~††$&#@## AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ##@#&$††~:
.:~††$&#@# † AT ALL... † #@#&$††~:.
:~††$&#@## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##@#&$††~:
,,»;§@§£## ##£§@§;»,,
,~/†$£#### MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ####£$†/~,
,:~/$&§@## LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, ##@§&$/~:,
:-;$*##@## FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND ##@##*$;-:
,-~†*£##@# 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. ##@§%†=-^.
,»^*¤&£### ###£&¤*^»,
¨,=;%¤§### ###§¤%;=,¨
.-/†£##@## ##@##£†/-.
,--:=$£@## ##@£$=:--,
.=†$*¤£### ###£¤*$†=.