......,==† †==,......
.......,== ==,.......
........,= =,........
........., ,.........
.......... ..........
.......... # ==================== # ..........
.......... = 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. $†/»-¨¨,..
¨...:~*=&¤ ¤&=*~:...¨
.,¨^=;*£## ##£*;=^¨,.
..,===@### ###@===,..
¨-»**§£### ###£§**»-¨
,.:=^%§§#@ @#§§%^=:.,