.~~\%$¤### ###¤$%\~~.
..~~\%$¤## ##¤$%\~~..
.~~\%$¤### ###¤$%\~~.
..~~\%$¤## ##¤$%\~~..
.~~\%$¤### ###¤$%\~~.
..~~\%$¤## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##¤$%\~~..
.~~\%$¤### \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ ###¤$%\~~.
..~~\%$¤## \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \ ##¤$%\~~..
.~~\%$¤### \ BRANCHED WAY BACK \ ###¤$%\~~.
..~~\%$¤## \ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR \ ##¤$%\~~..
.~~\%$¤### \ WAS ALMOST BARREN, \ ###¤$%\~~.
..~~\%$¤## COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ##¤$%\~~..
.~~\%$¤### AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ###¤$%\~~.
..~~\%$¤## \ AT ALL... \ ##¤$%\~~..
.~~\%$¤### # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ###¤$%\~~.
¨,.»†%¤&¶# #¶&¤%†».,¨
,^=/§%&£## 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, ##@£$§=«-¨
,.~»*†*@¶# #¶@*†*»~.,
¨~~^=§££## NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ##££§=^~~¨
.¨-~^*%£@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@£%*^~-¨.
,-~==§§### ###§§==~-,
¨¨:~:$¤&## ##&¤$:~:¨¨
¨~=\§$#### ####$§\=~¨
¨¨~-:**§£# #£§**:-~¨¨
,.~;*£#### ####£*;~.,