....,»\*&¤ ¤&*\»,....
...,»\*&¤@ @¤&*\»,...
..,»\*&¤@# #@¤&*\»,..
.,»\*&¤@## ##@¤&*\»,.
..,»\*&¤@# #@¤&*\»,..
...,»\*&¤@ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # @¤&*\»,...
....,»\*&¤ \ 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. ;~^¨.,,.,,
,.¨,..-~/§ §/~-..,¨.,
,,¨..,~/=@ @=/~,..¨,,
.....=*=§# #§=*=.....
¨¨,.~/§£&¶ ¶&£§/~.,¨¨
¨,,~:^¤£#@ @#£¤^:~,,¨