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