.......... ..........
.........« «.........
........«= =«........
.......«=$ $=«.......
......«=$£ £$=«......
.....«=$££ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ££$=«.....
....«=$££# = 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. ,.¨¨.¨¨¨,,
,.,.¨.,,,¨ ¨,,,.¨.,.,
¨,.¨.,..¨¨ ¨¨..,.¨.,¨
.,..¨,,¨,^ ^,¨,,¨..,.
.,..,¨¨,.~ ~.,¨¨,..,.
¨...¨.¨~«: :«~¨.¨...¨