......:-^% %^-:......
.....:-^%% %%^-:.....
....:-^%%¤ ¤%%^-:....
...:-^%%¤¶ ¶¤%%^-:...
..:-^%%¤¶# #¶¤%%^-:..
.:-^%%¤¶## # -------------------- # ##¶¤%%^-:.
..:-^%%¤¶# ^ 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*= &*$†=~.¨,¨
¨.¨-=:†¤§@ »«BEING » STOLEN ~« FROM -=« THEM. , @§¤†:=-¨.¨
,,-=†§$¤¶@ -« , ~~~ , ». ~~ - @¶¤$§†=-,,
¨-~=%%#£## ^ ,, , . ##£#%%=~-¨
,¨^-/%£@## , ¨ , * ##@£%/-^¨,
¨.,^-/%£&# #&£%/-^,.¨
.,¨¨~-\*%£ ¨#¨ £%*\-~¨¨,.
¨¨,,¨~~:=% %=:~~¨,,¨¨
,,¨¨.,:«^% AND, %^«:,.¨¨,,
...,.,,,«= =«,,,.,...
,.¨¨¨¨¨,~~ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ~~,¨¨¨¨¨.,
¨,,¨..¨~«† NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. †«~¨..¨,,¨
.¨.....~/% %/~.....¨.
¨.,,,-~*%£ £%*~-,,,.¨
,¨.¨.~:%%# #%%:~.¨.¨,
¨¨¨-»*%$¤¶ ¶¤$%*»-¨¨¨
,¨^-*%¤¤@# #@¤¤%*-^¨,