,~~†%@#### ####@%†~~,
,,,,~~%@@# #@@%~~,,,,
,,,,,~~†@# #@†~~,,,,,
,~~†%@#### ####@%†~~,
,,,,,~†%@# #@%†~,,,,,
,~~†%@#### # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ####@%†~~,
,~~†%%@@## † 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. ###¤§††»-¨
.~«†=$§@@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@@§$=†«~.
.^~:=@@&@@ @@&@@=:~^.
.,~»^*§$¤# #¤$§*^»~,.
,,~=$†§§@# #@§§†$=~,,
¨.,,»«\†&@ @&†\«»,,.¨
¨,..¨«*&@¶ ¶@&*«¨..,¨