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