~,........ ........,~
:~,....... .......,~:
=:~,...... ......,~:=
@=:~,..... .....,~:=@
¶@=:~,.... ....,~:=@¶
@¶@=:~,... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ...,~:=@¶@
#@¶@=:~,.. : 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. ¨,,....,.¨
¨...¨.,,¨¨ ¨¨,,.¨...¨
¨,..¨,¨,., ,.,¨,¨..,¨
.¨....,,¨. .¨,,....¨.
,,,,.....¨ ¨.....,,,,
¨¨,.,¨,.¨¨ ¨¨.,¨,.,¨¨