.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..........
.......... = 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. @#¤*=†~~¨.
,,..«/§%§£ £§%§/«..,,
¨,¨.,-††§# #§††-,.¨,¨
.,¨.¨:=\%$ $%\=:¨.¨,.
..,,,.,»/= =/»,.,,,..
¨,,,,,,,~\ \~,,,,,,,¨