...=\@§### ###§@\=...
..=\@§#### ####§@\=..
...=\@§### ###§@\=...
....=\@§## ##§@\=....
.....=\@§# #§@\=.....
......=\@§ # ==================== # §@\=......
.....=\@§# \ 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\- #@#£$/~.¨,
,..,-^§£#@ «=BEING = STOLEN -- FROM »~- THEM. , @#£§^-,..,
.¨,.,~†*§£ ~= . -»- , -. :~ « £§*†~,.,¨.
¨¨¨.,^»=$£ . ,- , . £$=»^,.¨¨¨
,.,,,«†@¤@ . . , % @¤@†«,,,.,
¨,.~»;&£## ##£&;»~.,¨
,.^==£#£## .#¨ ##£#£==^.,
¨,»:§&¶### ###¶&§:»,¨
,¨,=/§§¶## AND, ##¶§§/=,¨,
¨,..~\§### ###§\~..,¨
,,,,.~*@§# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #§@*~.,,,,
,,,¨,:«^§§ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. §§^«:,¨,,,
.¨,,^~;§#@ @#§;~^,,¨.
,¨,^-†§@£@ @£@§†-^,¨,
,.,«:§¤@@# #@@¤§:«,.,
¨^~^$&@@## ##@@&$^~^¨
,¨.~:§£#@# #@#£§:~.¨,