..:»:†%¤£# #£¤%†:»:..
...:»:†%¤£ £¤%†:»:...
..:»:†%¤£# #£¤%†:»:..
.:»:†%¤£## ##£¤%†:»:.
..:»:†%¤£# #£¤%†:»:..
...:»:†%¤£ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # £¤%†:»:...
..:»:†%¤£# : 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. £@§^/=-¨¨.
.,.~:%$¤## ##¤$%:~.,.
¨:~=%£§£## ##£§£%=~:¨
,.,~\$@#@# #@#@$\~,.,
¨¨..=;%*¤@ @¤*%;=..¨¨
,.--\%§££@ @££§%\--.,