...-»\§&£# #£&§\»-...
..-»\§&£## ##£&§\»-..
.-»\§&£### ###£&§\»-.
..-»\§&£## ##£&§\»-..
...-»\§&£# #£&§\»-...
....-»\§&£ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # £&§\»-....
.....-»\§& \ 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. @¤*:«:.¨,,
,,¨,,:~\§£ £§\~:,,¨,,
¨¨¨,,.:-/* */-:.,,¨¨¨
..,.,¨¨^»/ /»^¨¨,.,..
.¨¨..,¨¨:» »:¨¨,..¨¨.
.¨.,¨,¨... ...¨,¨,.¨.