.......... ..........
.........- -.........
........-~ ~-........
.......-~† †~-.......
......-~†* *†~-......
.....-~†*$ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # $*†~-.....
....-~†*$£ † 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. ..,,,,.¨..
,...,¨.¨., ,.¨.¨,...,
¨,¨,¨.,,¨. .¨,,.¨,¨,¨
¨¨¨,,¨,¨,, ,,¨,¨,,¨¨¨
,..¨¨.¨,¨, ,¨,¨.¨¨..,
,¨.,,¨,¨:« «:¨,¨,,.¨,