,~«^%¤§@## ##@§¤%^«~,
,,~«^%¤§@# #@§¤%^«~,,
,,,~«^%¤§@ @§¤%^«~,,,
,,,,~«^%¤§ §¤%^«~,,,,
,,,~«^%¤§@ @§¤%^«~,,,
,,~«^%¤§@# # «««««««««««««««««««« # #@§¤%^«~,,
,~«^%¤§@## ^ 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. &@*:-:¨,¨,
.¨..~;$@£@ @£@$;~..¨.
,,,~†§¤#@# #@#¤§†~,,,
¨.»\%¤#¶## ##¶#¤%\».¨
,¨~~*§£§## ##§£§*~~¨,
¨.,~~=%$&@ @&$%=~~,.¨