..~»\=@§## ##§@=\»~..
...~»\=@§# #§@=\»~...
....~»\=@§ §@=\»~....
.....~»\=@ @=\»~.....
......~»\= =\»~......
.......~»\ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # \»~.......
........~» \ 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. *=†-.,,¨.,
,¨,¨,,.«^^ ^^«.,,¨,¨,
,,.¨¨¨¨.»† †».¨¨¨¨.,,
,,,¨¨.¨.^= =^.¨.¨¨,,,
¨...,.¨,,. .,,¨.,...¨
.,.,,,..¨. .¨..,,,.,.