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