........-« «-........
.......-«† †«-.......
......-«†£ £†«-......
.....-«†£# #£†«-.....
....-«†£#@ @#£†«-....
...-«†£#@@ # «««««««««««««««««««« # @@#£†«-...
..-«†£#@@# † 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. ,¨..,,¨¨¨¨
....¨,.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.,¨....
¨¨¨¨..¨¨.. ..¨¨..¨¨¨¨
¨.,¨¨..¨¨¨ ¨¨¨..¨¨,.¨
¨¨.¨¨,¨,.¨ ¨.,¨,¨¨.¨¨
,..¨,.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.,¨..,