,^»*%£#### ####£%*»^,
,^*%£##### #####£%*^,
,^»»****£# #£****»»^,
,^»*%£#### ####£%*»^,
,,,,,^*£## ##£*^,,,,,
,,,,,,»%## # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ##%»,,,,,,
,^»*%£#### * 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$SUDDEN§*AWARENESS# £&@@\/^.,.
¨.~-;^¤&@# #@OF££EXACTLY§#HOW@THEY£HAD&TRAVELED,*# #@&¤^;-~.¨
¨¨,--†%%¤¶ #¤OF¤THE@WAY@HOME@¶TO@THE#TIME#FROM@@ ¶¤%%†--,¨¨
,,,~»~^£@@ #£WHERE#THEY#CAME,#######AND#THEN#@@# @@£^~»~,,,
,¨,,¨~%%§& #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE:= &§%%~¨,,¨,
,.«\†*&£## ~»BEING = STOLEN -~ FROM »~« THEM. ¨ ##£&*†\«.,
,~«~»^$%£# =~ ¨ ~«~ . ~¨ ~» ~ #£%$^»~«~,
¨..,,¨«^%@ ^ ~- , , @%^«¨,,..¨
.,,¨-:~§£@ . , , = @£§~:-¨,,.
,,~^*§¤¤£# #£¤¤§*^~,,
.-«/=&&@## ,#¨ ##@&&=/«-.
¨,=;*§&@## ##@&§*;=,¨
.,.,.¨.†%@ AND, @%†.¨.,.,.
,~«\§&£@## ##@£&§\«~,
,^»:%&@### NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ###@&%:»^,
..«;**@#@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@#@**;«..
¨~~;^¤£@## ##@£¤^;~~¨
¨~~^†£##@@ @@##£†^~~¨
.,»^%£@@@# #@@@£%^»,.
¨.,~=§*$#@ @#$*§=~,.¨
.-«*$$£%@# #@%£$$*«-.