\~~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~~\
~~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~~
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
~~,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,~~
\~~,,,,,,, \ 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. .,..-«/=£@
$^†»-.¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨.-»†^$
*;»-¨.¨.¨. .¨.¨.¨-»;*
^=:¨,.¨,,, ,,,¨.,¨:=^
»,..¨¨.,¨, ,¨,.¨¨..,»
,,..,¨..,, ,,..¨,..,,