....»»^$¤£ £¤$^»»....
....»^$¤§§ §§¤$^»....
......»^$§ §$^»......
.~»^$¤§£@# #@£§¤$^»~.
.~»^$¤§£## ##£§¤$^»~.
.~»^$¤§£@# # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # #@£§¤$^»~.
.....»$$§§ ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^ §§$$».....
.......»$§ ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^ §$».......
..~~»^$$¤§ ^ BRANCHED WAY BACK ^ §¤$$^»~~..
....~^^$¤§ ^ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ^ §¤$^^~....
.~»^$¤§£@# ^ WAS ALMOST BARREN, ^ #@£§¤$^»~.
.~»^$¤§@## COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ##@§¤$^»~.
...»^^¤¤§@ 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. &¤=^~»,¨.,
,,«†*¤#### ####¤*†«,,
,~«*^&&¶## ##¶&&^*«~,
,..,»^*&@@ @@&*^»,..,
.,-~==§^#£ £#^§==~-,.
¨,,,:%^=&¤ ¤&=^%:,,,¨