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