...,-\*%£# #£%*\-,...
..,-\*%£## ##£%*\-,..
.,-\*%£### ###£%*\-,.
..,-\*%£## ##£%*\-,..
...,-\*%£# #£%*\-,...
....,-\*%£ # -------------------- # £%*\-,....
.....,-\*% \ 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. %\~-,...,¨
,¨¨¨..»\*§ §*\»..¨¨¨,
,,¨,,=\%£§ §£%\=,,¨,,
¨.¨:~^%&@£ £@&%^~:¨.¨
,¨.~;*%£@# #@£%*;~.¨,
.,~/$*¤¶## ##¶¤*$/~,.