.....~«\&# #&\«~.....
.~«\†&#### ####&†\«~.
.....«\†#¶ ¶#†\«.....
.~«\†&#### ####&†\«~.
.~«\†&#¶## ##¶#&†\«~.
.~«\&#¶### # «««««««««««««««««««« # ###¶#&\«~.
...~~~«††# \ 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. @#££*^*-.,
,,~†^¤#### ####¤^†~,,
.,.,,»==¤# #¤==»,,.,.
¨^-^%%#¶@# #@¶#%%^-^¨
¨¨.¨.:*%@# #@%*:.¨.¨¨
,^=***#&@# #@&#***=^,