.....--\$§ §$\--.....
......--\$ $\--......
.......--\ \--.......
........-- --........
.........- -.........
........-- # -------------------- # --........
.......--\ \ 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. »-¨¨..,.,,
¨¨.,¨,..=* *=..,¨,.¨¨
,.,¨.¨^~\$ $\~^¨.¨,.,
.¨,¨.,-**$ $**-,.¨,¨.
¨,,..~^$$£ £$$^~..,,¨
,,¨:»==¤¤¶ ¶¤¤==»:¨,,