....«%£££# #£££%«....
.....«%£££ £££%«.....
......«%££ ££%«......
.......«%£ £%«.......
........«% %«........
.........« # «««««««««««««««««««« # «.........
.......... ^ 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. .,¨¨,.¨¨,,
¨...¨¨.,¨. .¨,.¨¨...¨
.¨..,¨,¨,« «,¨,¨,..¨.
¨..¨.¨..-§ §-..¨.¨..¨
,..,..,~*£ £*~,..,..,
,,..¨~=*£& &£*=~¨..,,