,,,,,,,,-~ ~-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-~: :~-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-~:$ $:~-,,,,,,
,,,,,-~:$§ §$:~-,,,,,
,,,,-~:$§¶ ¶§$:~-,,,,
,,,-~:$§¶# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # #¶§$:~-,,,
,,-~:$§¶## : 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. ¨,,,.,.¨¨,
¨,,,¨..,.. ..,..¨,,,¨
¨..¨¨¨..,, ,,..¨¨¨..¨
¨¨,¨,¨¨..~ ~..¨¨,¨,¨¨
,...,,¨.-† †-.¨,,...,
.,¨.,¨^~;* *;~^¨,.¨,.