.....»=%%# #%%=».....
......»=%% %%=»......
.......»=% %=».......
........»= =»........
.........» ».........
.......... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ..........
.......... = 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. /~,.¨¨,..,
.,,¨¨¨.,,« «,,.¨¨¨,,.
.¨¨.....¨. .¨.....¨¨.
.,,¨,.,.,, ,,.,.,¨,,.
¨,.,.,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,.,.,¨
¨.......,¨ ¨,.......¨