,......... .........,
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..........
.......... * 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. ¨,,,,.-~;†
:=^.,,¨... ...¨,,.^=:
~.¨,¨¨¨.., ,..¨¨¨,¨.~
.¨,¨....¨¨ ¨¨....¨,¨.
¨¨,.¨,..,¨ ¨,..,¨.,¨¨
.¨.¨¨¨,,¨. .¨,,¨¨¨.¨.