.,~\§§§§&@ @&§§§§\~,.
.,~\\\\§¤@ @¤§\\\\~,.
.,~\§¤&@@# #@@&¤§\~,.
.,~\§¤&@@# #@@&¤§\~,.
.,~\§¤¤&&@ @&&¤¤§\~,.
.,~\§¤¤¤&@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @&¤¤¤§\~,.
.,~\§¤&@@# \ 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. @¤%:/,^¨¨¨
¨.=/=*£### ###£*=/=.¨
.:»/=£@£## ##£@£=/»:.
,:=^**¤### ###¤**^=:,
,~===%§¶## ##¶§%===~,
¨¨,¨~«§@%¶ ¶%@§«~¨,¨¨