..,~†$£§@# #@§£$†~,..
.,~†$£§@## ##@§£$†~,.
..,~†$£§@# #@§£$†~,..
...,~†$£§@ @§£$†~,...
....,~†$£§ §£$†~,....
.....,~†$£ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # £$†~,.....
....,~†$£§ † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS † §£$†~,....
...,~†$£§@ † IN A STALE TIMELINE, † @§£$†~,...
..,~†$£§@# † BRANCHED WAY BACK † #@§£$†~,..
.,~†$£§@## † WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR † ##@§£$†~,.
..,~†$£§@# † WAS ALMOST BARREN, † #@§£$†~,..
...,~†$£§@ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, @§£$†~,...
....,~†$£§ AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, §£$†~,....
.....,~†$£ † AT ALL... † £$†~,.....
....,~†$£§ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # §£$†~,....
¨.,,~=*@@# #@@*=~,,.¨
¨,~=^§@£@@ 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. %*;~:,¨.,,
..¨.,~†*¤§ §¤*†~,.¨..
,.,~«=%$£# #£$%=«~,.,
,.,~†*£@@# #@@£*†~,.,
¨^~/%£§£## ##£§£%/~^¨
,.,«:*@¤## ##¤@*:«,.,