,,,^~%%£#@ @#£%%~^,,,
,,,,^~%%£# #£%%~^,,,,
,,,^~%%£#@ @#£%%~^,,,
,,^~%%£#@# #@#£%%~^,,
,^~%%£#@## ##@#£%%~^,
,,^~%%£#@# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #@#£%%~^,,
,,,^~%%£#@ / 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. #@#¤§†-..¨
¨-~%£##### #####£%~-¨
..:«$§&¶## ##¶&§$«:..
¨,.:«%@&#@ @#&@%«:.,¨
¨¨.¨~-%&§@ @§&%-~¨.¨¨
.¨.,-*%##@ @##%*-,.¨.