.........» ».........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ..........
.......... : 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. ¨¨.¨...,..
.¨..,,,.,¨ ¨,.,,,..¨.
.¨¨,¨.¨.,, ,,.¨.¨,¨¨.
¨¨¨,¨¨.¨.. ..¨.¨¨,¨¨¨
¨.,,.,.¨.- -.¨.,.,,.¨
¨..¨,¨¨¨,» »,¨¨¨,¨..¨