..-~\%$@## ##@$%\~-..
.-~\%$@### ###@$%\~-.
..-~\%$@## ##@$%\~-..
...-~\%$@# #@$%\~-...
....-~\%$@ @$%\~-....
.....-~\%$ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # $%\~-.....
......-~\% \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ %\~-......
.......-~\ \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \ \~-.......
........-~ \ BRANCHED WAY BACK \ ~-........
.........- \ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR \ -.........
.......... \ WAS ALMOST BARREN, \ ..........
.......... COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ..........
.......... AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ..........
.......... \ AT ALL... \ ..........
.......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..........
...¨,¨,.,. .,.,¨,¨...
.¨¨.,,,,.¨ MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE ¨.,,,,.¨¨.
.¨,,,.¨.¨: LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, :¨.¨.,,,¨.
¨¨.,..,,,- FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND -,,,..,.¨¨
.¨¨¨.¨..»† ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND. †»..¨.¨¨¨.
,.¨.,,,~^= IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY, =^~,,,.¨.,
,,...,~*§$ 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$KNOWLEDGE\» ..¨¨¨¨¨¨.¨
¨.,¨,,,.¨. =»BEING ~ STOLEN «~ FROM -=~ THEM. . .¨.,,,¨,.¨
,¨¨¨¨¨,¨.. ~- , ~~~ , =, .~ = ..¨,¨¨¨¨¨,
¨,,.¨,¨,.. . ,, : , ..,¨,¨.,,¨
¨,,.,,¨.¨. , . , % .¨.¨,,.,,¨
¨¨¨...¨,,¨ ¨,,¨...¨¨¨
,,¨¨,.,¨.¨ ¨#¨ ¨.¨,.,¨¨,,
¨..¨...,¨: :¨,...¨..¨
¨.,,¨,¨.^~ AND, ~^.¨,¨,,.¨
¨,¨.,,¨,~† †~,¨,,.¨,¨
,.¨,.¨,~^% NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. %^~,¨.,¨.,
¨,,¨.^»*^@ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. @^*»^.¨,,¨
¨.,,.«=*@¤ ¤@*=«.,,.¨
,.,,~*%@&# #&@%*~,,.,
,,.-*$£##@ @##£$*-.,,
,~«:*££### ###££*:«~,
,,,-\$%¤¶# #¶¤%$\-,,,