@;»^...... ......^»;@
£@;»^..... .....^»;@£
££@;»^.... ....^»;@££
@££@;»^... ...^»;@££@
#@££@;»^.. ..^»;@££@#
##@££@;»^. # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .^»;@££@##
#@££@;»^.. ; 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. ¨.,,¨....¨
.,¨,,..¨¨¨ ¨¨¨..,,¨,.
,.,.,,,.,, ,,.,,,.,.,
,¨¨...¨¨.. ..¨¨...¨¨,
¨¨¨..¨,,¨, ,¨,,¨..¨¨¨
¨,.,..¨,., ,.,¨..,.,¨