..«\%@£¶## ##¶£@%\«..
...«\%@£¶# #¶£@%\«...
....«\%@£¶ ¶£@%\«....
.....«\%@£ £@%\«.....
......«\%@ @%\«......
.......«\% # «««««««««««««««««««« # %\«.......
........«\ \ 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. ^/=,.¨.¨.,
,¨.,,..~== ==~..,,.¨,
¨,.¨¨¨,.:» »:.,¨¨¨.,¨
¨¨,.¨,¨.¨- -¨.¨,¨.,¨¨
.¨¨¨.,,,.~ ~.,,,.¨¨¨.
.¨,¨,,,^=^ ^=^,,,¨,¨.