¤%*=-..... .....-=*%¤
£¤%*=-.... ....-=*%¤£
@£¤%*=-... ...-=*%¤£@
@@£¤%*=-.. ..-=*%¤£@@
#@@£¤%*=-. .-=*%¤£@@#
@@£¤%*=-.. # ==================== # ..-=*%¤£@@
@£¤%*=-... * 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. ¨¨.¨.,,~*†
£*†~:,,.¨¨ ¨¨.,,:~†*£
&£%†».,,,, ,,,,.»†%£&
#£%^\»^.¨¨ ¨¨.^»\^%£#
@#£§*:~~¨, ,¨~~:*§£#@
#@##§%\»^, ,^»\%§##@#