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