...-;*§&#@ @#&§*;-...
..-;*§&#@# #@#&§*;-..
...-;*§&#@ @#&§*;-...
....-;*§&# #&§*;-....
.....-;*§& &§*;-.....
......-;*§ # -------------------- # §*;-......
.......-;* ; 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. .¨,...¨,.¨
¨,¨¨..¨.., ,..¨..¨¨,¨
.,,.¨.,.¨. .¨.,.¨.,,.
¨¨,,..,¨,» »,¨,..,,¨¨
,,.¨¨..~»^ ^»~..¨¨.,,
,,.,¨¨:=;% %;=:¨¨,.,,