.....:~:^* *^:~:.....
......:~:^ ^:~:......
.....:~:^* *^:~:.....
....:~:^*@ @*^:~:....
...:~:^*@£ £@*^:~:...
..:~:^*@£# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #£@*^:~:..
.:~:^*@£## : 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. §£%:~:¨¨,,
.,¨.¨,=\$£ £$\=,¨.¨,.
,¨,.¨¨,~*% %*~,¨¨.,¨,
.¨¨.,.~^*& &*^~.,.¨¨.
¨.¨,,~^*$§ §$*^~,,¨.¨
¨,,~»=*$## ##$*=»~,,¨