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