.«/*&¤@### ###@¤&*/«.
.:«/*&¤@@@ @@@¤&*/«:.
....::/&@# #@&/::....
.:«/*&&¤¤¤ ¤¤¤&&*/«:.
...:«««*¤@ @¤*«««:...
.....«*¤¤# # «««««««««««««««««««« # #¤¤*«.....
.:«///&¤@# / 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. ¶#@@@**~-¨
¨.~*$$@### NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ###@$$*~.¨
.^~;*££#@£ £@#££*;~^.
.¨,.,,~%†§ §†%~,,.,¨.
....,¨-=*@ @*=-¨,....
.~=^†&¤@@@ @@@¤&†^=~.
-»*%@##### #####@%*»-