...~~/%&## ##&%/~~...
..~~/%&### ###&%/~~..
.~~/%&#### ####&%/~~.
..~~/%&### ###&%/~~..
...~~/%&## ##&%/~~...
....~~/%&# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #&%/~~....
.....~~/%& / 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. @&*;-,¨.¨¨
..¨^«^^&## ##&^^«^¨..
,¨,«/^&£@# #@£&^/«,¨,
,,-\%&¶@## ##@¶&%\-,,
¨¨:-/^&@## ##@&^/-:¨¨
,.,:-:%££# #££%:-:,.,