..-~=§$#£# #£#$§=~-..
.-~=§$#£## ##£#$§=~-.
..-~=§$#£# #£#$§=~-..
...-~=§$#£ £#$§=~-...
....-~=§$# #$§=~-....
.....-~=§$ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # $§=~-.....
......-~=§ = THE WOLF POOL EXISTS = §=~-......
.......-~= = IN A STALE TIMELINE, = =~-.......
........-~ = BRANCHED WAY BACK = ~-........
.........- = WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR = -.........
.......... = WAS ALMOST BARREN, = ..........
.......... COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ..........
.......... AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ..........
.......... = AT ALL... = ..........
.......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..........
,,¨,.,..,- -,..,.,¨,,
,,¨,,¨,..= MISPLACED EXPLORERS TRAVERSE THE =..,¨,,¨,,
.¨¨..,¨^~: LANDSCAPE, SEARCHING FOR A WAY BACK, :~^¨,..¨¨.
.¨.¨,.--^% FINDING INSTEAD ONLY STONE AND DIRT AND %^--.,¨.¨.
,¨,.¨--:^% ROOTS THAT ARE AS HARD AS THE GROUND. %^:--¨.,¨,
¨.¨.,»^%%§ IT'S GETTING DARK, THEY ARE THIRSTY, §%%^»,.¨.¨
,¨.:-:†$@# 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. #§¤=/~.,.¨
,,,.-~;§£§ §£§;~-.,,,
¨..¨¨,~:^¤ ¤^:~,¨¨..¨
,...¨¨-~=% %=~-¨¨...,
,¨¨.,.,,~^ ^~,,.,.¨¨,
¨.¨,....,» »,....,¨.¨