....~\%$$@ @$$%\~....
.-~\%$¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤$%\~-.
....-~\$$¤ ¤$$\~-....
.-~\%$¤@@@ @@@¤$%\~-.
.-~\%$¤@@# #@@¤$%\~-.
.-~\%$¤@@@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @@@¤$%\~-.
....-~%$$@ \ 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. ##¶§*$^=,,
¨,-†%£&£@# #@£&£%†-,¨
¨-~*%*&@## ##@&*%*~-¨
.,¨,»††/¤# #¤/††»,¨,.
...,¨-*£¤@ @¤£*-¨,...
¨,,¨¨.-*£@ @£*-.¨¨,,¨