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