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