....-»^^¤@ @¤^^»-....
......»^¤@ @¤^»......
.-»*^¤¤@## ##@¤¤^*»-.
....»^¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤^»....
...-»»»^¤¤ ¤¤^»»»-...
.-»*^¤¤@## # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ##@¤¤^*»-.
.-»*^¤¤@## * 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, ##@££=†»:¨
.,»/§§£¤## ##¤£§§/»,.
.¨¨¨^/*$£# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #£$*/^¨¨¨.
,,¨~~*%$££ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ££$%*~~¨,,
,,=«†^^&££ ££&^^†«=,,
¨.»†%$£### ###£$%†».¨
,¨,,,»%¤¤¤ ¤¤¤%»,,,¨,
¨,«:*$@#@# #@#@$*:«,¨
.¨,,~~=;$¤ ¤$;=~~,,¨.