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