,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
-~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~-
\-~,,,,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,,,,~-\
§\-~,,,,,, \ 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. ..,¨..,,~^
~:,.,,.,,. .,,.,,.,:~
:.¨.¨.¨,., ,.,¨.¨.¨.:
¨¨..,,,¨.¨ ¨.¨,,,..¨¨
..¨,¨¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨¨,¨..
...,,,,¨,¨ ¨,¨,,,,...