......-:=§ §=:-......
.-~:=¤§¶## ##¶§¤=:~-.
....--~:¤¶ ¶¤:~--....
...~:=¤§¶# #¶§¤=:~...
.......~=§ §=~.......
..-----:¤¶ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¶¤:-----..
.-~:=¤§¶## : 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. #¶@§*=¨¨¨,
,,«:=&§@@# #@@§&=:«,,
...-~=%£@# #@£%=~-...
,~»/%£¤£## ##£¤£%/»~,
,.»;§*#### ####*§;».,
¨,~/%¤£¶## ##¶£¤%/~,¨