.:»*§$@£## ##£@$§*»:.
..:»*§$@£# #£@$§*»:..
...:»*§$@£ £@$§*»:...
....:»*§$@ @$§*»:....
.....:»*§$ $§*»:.....
......:»*§ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # §*»:......
.......:»* * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * *»:.......
........:» * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * »:........
.........: * BRANCHED WAY BACK * :.........
.......... * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ..........
.......... * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ..........
.......... COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ..........
.........: AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, :.........
........:» * AT ALL... * »:........
.......:»* # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # *»:.......
¨,¨...-~^% %^~-...¨,¨
¨,¨,,,~:^% MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE %^:~,,,¨,¨
.¨,,-~/=$§ 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. .,..,.¨,¨¨
,¨¨,,.,,,, ,,,,.,,¨¨,
,.,,¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨,,.,
¨,¨,.,¨,¨~ ~¨,¨,.,¨,¨
,.,.¨,.¨:- -:¨.,¨.,.,
¨,.¨¨,.,«= =«,.,¨¨.,¨