,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~= =~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~== ==~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~=== # ==================== # ===~,,,,,,
,,,,,~===% = 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. ¨.,.,,¨,,.
,¨,¨.¨.¨,. .,¨.¨.¨,¨,
.¨¨.,¨¨,,, ,,,¨¨,.¨¨.
,¨.,,¨.,,, ,,,.¨,,.¨,
.¨¨.¨¨¨¨.. ..¨¨¨¨.¨¨.
,..,¨.¨¨.~ ~.¨¨.¨,..,