.....:-==£ £==-:.....
......:-== ==-:......
.......:-= =-:.......
........:- -:........
.........: :.........
.......... # -------------------- # ..........
.........: = 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. ¨ ,¨¨,.,,¨..
,.,.¨.,¨,- -~ , »»» , ~¨ ,« » -,¨,.¨.,.,
¨,.¨.,,.:» . :, : , »:.,,.¨.,¨
,¨¨¨...:=^ . ¨ . $ ^=:...¨¨¨,
¨¨.¨,.~=;^ ^;=~.,¨.¨¨
¨¨,...=†^$ ,#¨ $^†=...,¨¨
,..¨^-;$*@ @*$;-^¨..,
.¨.,~††££¶ AND, ¶££††~,.¨.
,,,~=*&£@# #@£&*=~,,,
..«*^£@@@# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #@@@£^*«..
¨¨.-*%%&¶# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #¶&%%*-.¨¨
...,=††$£@ @£$††=,...
.,¨.-~\%¤@ @¤%\~-.¨,.
.¨,..~~:$¤ ¤$:~~..,¨.
¨..,..:»=§ §=»:..,..¨
,¨,¨¨,¨,~/ /~,¨,¨¨,¨,