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