.....^~*$% %$*~^.....
......^~*$ $*~^......
.......^~* *~^.......
........^~ ~^........
.........^ ^.........
.......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..........
.......... * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ..........
.......... * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ..........
.......... * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ..........
.......... * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ..........
.........^ * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ^.........
........^~ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ~^........
.......^~* AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, *~^.......
......^~*$ * 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. ~,¨¨.,,..¨
¨.¨.,.¨,.~ ~.,¨.,.¨.¨
....¨¨.¨., ,.¨.¨¨....
¨¨,,,¨¨,.. ..,¨¨,,,¨¨
,,¨.¨...,, ,,...¨.¨,,
.,¨,.¨.... ....¨.,¨,.