.......... ..........
.........^ ^.........
........^~ ~^........
.......^~/ /~^.......
......^~/§ §/~^......
.....^~/§& # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # &§/~^.....
....^~/§&# / 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. ¨¨¨¨,¨.,,¨
¨¨¨,¨¨,,,, ,,,,¨¨,¨¨¨
..¨,.,¨,.. ..,¨,.,¨..
,.¨.,..,., ,.,..,.¨.,
¨.,¨¨¨¨,¨^ ^¨,¨¨¨¨,.¨
¨.,..,..,- -,..,..,.¨