&%^*-,.... ....,-*^%&
@&%^*-,... ...,-*^%&@
#@&%^*-,.. ..,-*^%&@#
##@&%^*-,. .,-*^%&@##
#@&%^*-,.. ..,-*^%&@#
@&%^*-,... # -------------------- # ...,-*^%&@
&%^*-,.... * 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. .,,...,,~;
*=«^,,.,¨, ,¨,.,,^«=*
£%^~.¨..,. .,..¨.~^%£
#%%^~:,.., ,..,:~^%%#
##$%^-,.¨¨ ¨¨.,-^%$##
@#@$$/~~¨. .¨~~/$$@#@