...,~:§§£# #£§§:~,...
..,~:§§£## ##£§§:~,..
.,~:§§£### ###£§§:~,.
..,~:§§£## ##£§§:~,..
...,~:§§£# #£§§:~,...
....,~:§§£ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # £§§:~,....
.....,~:§§ : 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. ¨ ..¨¨.,¨...
¨¨¨.¨¨..,^ »~ , -«« . «¨ .~ ~ ^,..¨¨.¨¨¨
.¨,,¨,,..« , .: ~ ¨ «..,,¨,,¨.
¨,¨¨,,,:«* . , ¨ † *«:,,,¨¨,¨
...¨,,,-†@ @†-,,,¨...
¨¨,.¨~~;@¤ .#. ¤@;~~¨.,¨¨
¨¨¨¨.-:*§@ @§*:-.¨¨¨¨
.¨¨,~:$##@ AND, @##$:~,¨¨.
,,^~^%#£@# #@£#%^~^,,
¨--:$£#### NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ####£$:--¨
¨,~~*$§¶## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##¶§$*~~,¨
.¨,,~/&#¶@ @¶#&/~,,¨.
.,¨.:-^¤£# #£¤^-:.¨,.
,.,,,:~^%@ @%^~:,,,.,
,,¨,,.,~*% %*~,.,,¨,,
.¨¨...¨~»: :»~¨...¨¨.