.-~\*&¤#@# #@#¤&*\~-.
.-~\*&&&¤# #¤&&&*\~-.
.-~\*&&¤¤¤ ¤¤¤&&*\~-.
.-~\*&¤#@# #@#¤&*\~-.
.-~\***&&# #&&***\~-.
.-~\*&¤#@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@#¤&*\~-.
.-~\*&¤### \ 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. ###@#$\~~¨
.,=**££@## ##@££**=,.
¨~«†*%§£## ##£§%*†«~¨
¨.-/%%£@@# #@@£%%/-.¨
,~»;†$££#£ £#££$†;»~,
.:»\%£@&£@ @£&@£%\»:.