....,~;@&# #&@;~,....
.....,~;@& &@;~,.....
......,~;@ @;~,......
.......,~; ;~,.......
......,~;@ @;~,......
.....,~;@& # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # &@;~,.....
....,~;@&# ; 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. ##@¶£%=~~.
,¨^~:£§@## ##@§£:~^¨,
,¨¨,~;%¤#@ @#¤%;~,¨¨,
¨¨,.,~†@¤¶ ¶¤@†~,.,¨¨
¨¨.¨¨,~/%@ @%/~,¨¨.¨¨
,,..¨.,=*£ £*=,.¨..,,