...=/†¤¶## ##¶¤†/=...
....=/†¤¶# #¶¤†/=....
.....=/†¤¶ ¶¤†/=.....
......=/†¤ ¤†/=......
.......=/† †/=.......
........=/ # ==================== # /=........
.........= / 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. §*=«.¨,,..
,.,¨¨.:~†† ††~:.¨¨,.,
.,,¨¨¨.-~= =~-.¨¨¨,,.
,.¨¨¨.¨¨,~ ~,¨¨.¨¨¨.,
¨,,,.¨¨,¨: :¨,¨¨.,,,¨
.¨¨,,,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,,,¨¨.