....^~\§§& &§§\~^....
...^~\§§&¶ ¶&§§\~^...
..^~\§§&¶# #¶&§§\~^..
.^~\§§&¶## ##¶&§§\~^.
..^~\§§&¶# #¶&§§\~^..
...^~\§§&¶ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¶&§§\~^...
....^~\§§& \ 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. , ###&¤*:~..
,.^~=§@£¶# ~~ , »=~ . -¨ ~~ ~ #¶£@§=~^.,
,¨.,~\=%¤@ , -, - , @¤%=\~,.¨,
¨,¨¨~-:=$§ , . ¨ § §$=:-~¨¨,¨
.,,,.,«**@ @**«,.,,,.
¨,...,~-:$ ¨#. $:-~,...,¨
,.,.,,¨,«* *«,¨,,.,.,
.,,.¨,,.:= AND, =:.,,¨.,,.
.,....¨:«= =«:¨....,.
..,.¨¨-»:* NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. *:»-¨¨.,..
,.¨,,~=†*% NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. %*†=~,,¨.,
,¨¨,:=;†¤¤ ¤¤†;=:,¨¨,
.,.~~†=£@@ @@£=†~~.,.
¨.,«\%§£¶# #¶£§%\«,.¨
,-»/$@§¶## ##¶§@$/»-,
,,,~;%£@@# #@@£%;~,,,