@%%»,..... .....,»%%@
#@%%»,.... ....,»%%@#
##@%%»,... ...,»%%@##
###@%%»,.. ..,»%%@###
####@%%»,. .,»%%@####
###@%%»,.. # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ..,»%%@###
##@%%»,... : 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. ,¨,¨¨,...~
%-...,.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.,...-%
%§~:¨¨,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,¨¨:~§%
&$*-.,¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨,.-*$&
#££%~^¨¨,, ,,¨¨^~%££#
@#£$$~~.¨. .¨.~~$$£#@