.....~^$#@ @#$^~.....
.~~^§$#£@# #@£#$§^~~.
.~~^$#£@## ##@£#$^~~.
.~~^§$#£@# #@£#$§^~~.
.....~^§$£ £$§^~.....
.~~^§$#£@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@£#$§^~~.
.....~^§$# ^ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ^ #$§^~.....
.~~^^§§$## ^ IN A STALE TIMELINE, ^ ##$§§^^~~.
.~~^§$#£@# ^ BRANCHED WAY BACK ^ #@£#$§^~~.
....~~^$$£ ^ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ^ £$$^~~....
....~^^$$£ ^ WAS ALMOST BARREN, ^ £$$^^~....
.~~^§$#£££ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, £££#$§^~~.
.~~^§$#£@# AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, #@£#$§^~~.
.~~~^^$$$£ ^ AT ALL... ^ £$$$^^~~~.
...~^^^$£@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @£$^^^~...
,..¨-^\\$¶ ¶$\\^-¨..,
¨.~^=£#### MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ####£=^~.¨
,..¨,¨,=%£ LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, £%=,¨,¨..,
,~-;†@&¶## FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND ##¶&@†;-~,
¨.~\*&#¤#@ ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND. @#¤#&*\~.¨
..,¨¨¨-^§@ IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY, @§^-¨¨¨,..
..¨,¨~=&## AND ABOUT TO FIND THE WOLF POOL. ##&=~¨,¨..
,.~^^¤&@## ##@&¤^^~.,
¨...,=$^¤# ,#. #¤^$=,...¨
¨^~†=%#@## ##@#%=†~^¨
¨.«^=£@£@# THE POOL LIES IN A SMALL METEORITE #@£@£=^«.¨
.,,~~**&#@ IMPACT CRATER, SIXTY METERS ACROSS. @#&**~~,,.
,,,.,,;%¤@ IT'S SURFACE IS PITCH BLACK AND EVEN @¤%;,,.,,,
.,«†§¤¤### THOUGH IT'S NOT WELL PROTECTED, IT IS ###¤¤§†«,.
¨.^~~$%£¶@ 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. @¤;^-,-.¨¨
,.¨.~::$## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##$::~.¨.,
,:~††¤@¶## ##¶@¤††~:,
..¨¨»=^&¶# #¶&^=»¨¨..
,^»/*&$¤£@ @£¤$&*/»^,
.,.~~;/$%& &%$/;~~.,.
.~~*§£@### ###@£§*~~.