.......,«† †«,.......
........,« «,........
........., ,.........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ..........
.......... † 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. #££$*--.,,
....-»:%££ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ££%:»-....
¨,¨,,,=†££ ££†=,,,¨,¨
,¨..,.:~*$ $*~:.,..¨,
,¨.¨¨¨,,== ==,,¨¨¨.¨,
.¨..,.¨¨:~ ~:¨¨.,..¨.
¨,,¨,.¨.¨- -¨.¨.,¨,,¨