.........: :.........
........:= =:........
.......:=* *=:.......
......:=** **=:......
.....:=**% %**=:.....
....:=**%¤ # ==================== # ¤%**=:....
...:=**%¤@ * 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. =:¨,¨¨,,¨,
.¨¨..,,.¨, ,¨.,,..¨¨.
..¨.,,..,, ,,..,,.¨..
.¨.¨.¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨.¨.¨.
,¨¨¨.¨.¨^~ ~^¨.¨.¨¨¨,
.,,,,,.-~* *~-.,,,,,.