.:=*=*££## ##££*=*=:.
..:=*=*££# #££*=*=:..
...:=*=*££ ££*=*=:...
....:=*=*£ £*=*=:....
.....:=*=* *=*=:.....
......:=*= # ==================== # =*=:......
.......:=* * 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. .¨,,,..,,¨
.,.,,.,¨.^ ^.¨,.,,.,.
..,,.¨,¨:~ ~:¨,¨.,,..
,.¨¨,.¨^-= =-^¨.,¨¨.,
.,,.¨¨:-†† ††-:¨¨.,,.
¨¨,¨.,~*%£ £%*~,.¨,¨¨