@&§^;-:... ...:-;^§&@
&§^;-:.... ....:-;^§&
§^;-:..... .....:-;^§
^;-:...... ......:-;^
;-:....... .......:-;
-:........ # -------------------- # ........:-
:......... ; 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. .....¨¨¨¨¨
,¨,.,¨¨,,¨ ¨,,¨¨,.,¨,
=,....,¨., ,.¨,....,=
^=,.¨,¨¨,, ,,¨¨,¨.,=^
%=»,.,,.,, ,,.,,.,»=%
%=:~,¨..¨¨ ¨¨..¨,~:=%