.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ..........
.......... = 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. */~,.,,,¨.
.,,.¨¨,:~= =~:,¨¨.,,.
¨.,,¨,..:= =:..,¨,,.¨
,,,,.¨..¨^ ^¨..¨.,,,,
¨,.¨.,,.¨¨ ¨¨.,,.¨.,¨
..¨.,,¨¨¨. .¨¨¨,,.¨..