/-,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,-/
*/-,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,-/*
%*/-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-/*%
#%*/-,,,,, ,,,,,-/*%#
@#%*/-,,,, ,,,,-/*%#@
#@#%*/-,,, # -------------------- # ,,,-/*%#@#
##@#%*/-,, / 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. ¨¨,«;§&@##
##@#§§/-., ,.-/§§#@##
##¶*=\-.,¨ ¨,.-\=*¶##
@@&^:~,.., ,..,~:^&@@
@¤=:=^¨,,. .,,¨^=:=¤@
§%†~.,.... ....,.~†%§