,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,. .,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.~ ~.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.~† # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # †~.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.~†§ † 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. £%\«:¨¨,,¨
,.,¨,¨.»†* *†».¨,¨,.,
.¨.,¨,.:=^ ^=:.,¨,.¨.
.¨¨¨.,¨¨~» »~¨¨,.¨¨¨.
,.,¨.¨,¨¨- -¨¨,¨.¨,.,
.¨,¨¨,¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨,¨¨,¨.