.~=:%¤@@## ##@@¤%:=~.
.~=:%£¤@@# #@@¤£%:=~.
.~=:%£¤@@# #@@¤£%:=~.
.~=:%£¤@@@ @@@¤£%:=~.
......~:£@ @£:~......
.~=:%£¤@@@ # ==================== # @@@¤£%:=~.
.~=:%£¤@@# : 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. ¶£^=;~:¨¨.
,^-†%£@### ###@£%†-^,
,~»:†%¤¶## ##¶¤%†:»~,
¨..,-::§@@ @@§::-,..¨
.-~†^&#@## ##@#&^†~-.
.~»/%@¤¶## ##¶¤@%/»~.