$†=,...... ......,=†$
@$†=,..... .....,=†$@
#@$†=,.... ....,=†$@#
@#@$†=,... ...,=†$@#@
#@#@$†=,.. ..,=†$@#@#
##@#@$†=,. # ==================== # .,=†$@#@##
#@#@$†=,.. † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS † ..,=†$@#@#
@#@$†=,... † IN A STALE TIMELINE, † ...,=†$@#@
#@$†=,.... † BRANCHED WAY BACK † ....,=†$@#
@$†=,..... † WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR † .....,=†$@
$†=,...... † WAS ALMOST BARREN, † ......,=†$
†=,....... 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. ,¨,¨¨¨¨,,¨
¨¨.¨,,¨.,. .,.¨,,¨.¨¨
¨¨.,..¨..¨ ¨..¨..,.¨¨
.,,.¨¨,,¨, ,¨,,¨¨.,,.
¨..,,...¨. .¨...,,..¨
,,,¨¨.,,¨. .¨,,.¨¨,,,