~^,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,^~
^~^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^~^
*^~^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^~^*
#*^~^,,,,, ,,,,,^~^*#
¶#*^~^,,,, ,,,,^~^*#¶
#¶#*^~^,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,^~^*#¶#
##¶#*^~^,, † 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. ,.¨¨.¨.,..
,¨¨,¨¨,.,. .,.,¨¨,¨¨,
..¨.¨,,,,¨ ¨,,,,¨.¨..
~~¨¨¨¨¨,.¨ ¨.,¨¨¨¨¨~~
%-:,.,¨,,. .,,¨,.,:-%
@%~,,,,¨.. ..¨,,,,~%@