....####.. #.......#.
###..##..# ..#####...
.#........ ...###..#.
...######. ##..#.....
##..####.. ......####
#....##... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #####..###
..##....## = 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# #@£&§£££§@
£@§@£@@#§@ #¤OFEXACTLY#£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. §¤@&§@§&¤&
&@#&@&&& &¤£¤#§#§#§
£#¤¤£@¤¤&¤ #&¤§££¤¤@§
@@@§@&£§§@ §@§£¤§¤&§£
#§&@&@#£ ££&@&¤@§£¤
@£§@£#¤££# §@@¤&¤&££@