.....,«^=% %=^«,.....
......,«^= =^«,......
.......,«^ ^«,.......
........,« «,........
........., ,.........
.......... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ..........
.......... ^ 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@### ##£$=^~~..
,.,,-\*%£@ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS=KNOWLEDGE*- @£%*\-,,.,
¨¨,.~-=%£# ~=BEING « STOLEN -~ FROM =-= THEM. , #£%=-~.,¨¨
,,.¨¨^«/%£ =~ ¨ ««= , ~, ^~ » £%/«^¨¨.,,
¨.¨,¨.:«** ~ .: ^ , **«:.¨,¨.¨
,,,,.,¨,~; , , ¨ % ;~,¨,.,,,,
,¨¨,,,¨,,» »,,¨,,,¨¨,
¨,.¨.,.,.. ¨#¨ ..,.,.¨.,¨
¨,¨,¨,.¨¨. .¨¨.,¨,¨,¨
,,,.,.,.¨, AND, ,¨.,.,.,,,
¨¨,.,¨.,.¨ ¨.,.¨,.,¨¨
.,¨.¨¨,.,, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,,.,¨¨.¨,.
..,,¨,¨¨:- NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. -:¨¨,¨,,..
.¨.¨.,¨,=\ \=,¨,.¨.¨.
,.,¨,..=** **=..,¨,.,
¨,¨..--*=$ $=*--..¨,¨
,,,¨,«**$@ @$**«,¨,,,
,.,:~:*£#@ @#£*:~:,.,