....~*$¤£@ @£¤$*~....
.....~*$¤£ £¤$*~.....
......~*$¤ ¤$*~......
.......~*$ $*~.......
........~* *~........
.........~ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ~.........
.......... * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ..........
.......... * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ..........
.......... * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ..........
.......... * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ..........
.......... * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ..........
.......... COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ..........
.......... AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ..........
.........~ * AT ALL... * ~.........
........~* # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # *~........
¨,.¨,¨^«/$ $/«^¨,¨.,¨
,..¨.^~/%¤ MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ¤%/~^.¨..,
¨,,,^«=%£@ LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, @£%=«^,,,¨
.¨.,===$£# 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. =;~...,,.,
,.¨,.,¨~-: :-~¨,.,¨.,
,¨..¨¨,¨,« «,¨,¨¨..¨,
..,.¨,.¨.. ..¨.,¨.,..
¨..¨¨.,.¨¨ ¨¨.,.¨¨..¨
,¨,¨...¨.¨ ¨.¨...¨,¨,