$;~,...... ......,~;$
;~,....... .......,~;
$;~,...... ......,~;$
§$;~,..... .....,~;$§
#§$;~,.... ....,~;$§#
@#§$;~,... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ...,~;$§#@
#@#§$;~,.. ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ..,~;$§#@#
##@#§$;~,. ; IN A STALE TIMELINE, ; .,~;$§#@##
#@#§$;~,.. ; BRANCHED WAY BACK ; ..,~;$§#@#
@#§$;~,... ; WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR ; ...,~;$§#@
#§$;~,.... ; WAS ALMOST BARREN, ; ....,~;$§#
§$;~,..... COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, .....,~;$§
$;~,...... AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ......,~;$
;~,....... ; 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. ,¨¨.=†%§&#
#£§*-,¨.,¨ ¨,.¨,-*§£#
¤^\~.,..¨. .¨..,.~\^¤
§/=:¨¨,,¨. .¨,,¨¨:=/§
=-,¨,,¨.., ,..¨,,¨,-=
§=»....,.. ..,....»=§