.....,«†¤£ £¤†«,.....
......,«†¤ ¤†«,......
.......,«† †«,.......
........,« «,........
........., ,.........
.......... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ..........
.......... * 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% ,.¨¨¨¨¨¨..
¨,¨.¨..¨¨, §$$BRIGHT$-^%A&SUDDEN$£AWARENESS# ,¨¨..¨.¨,¨
,¨¨.¨..¨,. #*OF%¤EXACTLY¤@HOW§THEY¤HAD#TRAVELED,%# .,¨..¨.¨¨,
,¨¨.¨.¨,., #@OF¤THE#WAY#HOME#¶TO@THE¶TIME#FROM¶@ ,.,¨.¨.¨¨,
..,.¨,..,, #£WHERE#THEY#CAME,#######AND#THEN@@#@ ,,..,¨.,..
,¨..,.¨¨¨¨ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE^= ¨¨¨¨.,..¨,
,¨....¨.¨. ~-BEING ~ STOLEN =~ FROM =~= THEM. ¨ .¨.¨....¨,
.,.,,.,.,~ =~ ¨ »~~ ¨ =, .« ~ ~,.,.,,.,.
¨¨¨..¨,¨:» . -- - ¨ »:¨,¨..¨¨¨
.,..¨..~~$ ¨ . , * $~~..¨..,.
,.¨,.,^«** **«^,.,¨.,
¨,..,~~*%¤ ,#. ¤%*~~,..,¨
¨...:-^§£# #£§^-:...¨
,,.-»=£&@# AND, #@&£=»-.,,
.¨.»^%&£@# #@£&%^».¨.
¨,«§£&@### NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ###@&£§«,¨
,.-~%§##@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@##§%~-.,
.¨¨.«*$£@# #@£$*«.¨¨.
¨¨..,~$$¤# #¤$$~,..¨¨
,.,.,,-%£¤ ¤£%-,,.,.,
¨.,¨.¨^=†& &†=^¨.¨,.¨
¨.,¨...-~% %~-...¨,.¨