####%=†«,. .,«†=%####
###%=†«,.. ..,«†=%###
##%=†«,... ...,«†=%##
#%=†«,.... ....,«†=%#
%=†«,..... .....,«†=%
=†«,...... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ......,«†=
†«,....... † 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. ,,¨.,»^%*#
§†=--¨.¨.¨ ¨.¨.¨--=†§
**-^,....¨ ¨....,^-**
=«~.,¨,,¨, ,¨,,¨,.~«=
~..¨..,..¨ ¨..,..¨..~
,,¨¨.,¨,,¨ ¨,,¨,.¨¨,,