££§=«,.... ....,«=§££
£££§=«,... ...,«=§£££
#£££§=«,.. ..,«=§£££#
##£££§=«,. .,«=§£££##
#£££§=«,.. ..,«=§£££#
£££§=«,... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ...,«=§£££
££§=«,.... = 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. ,¨,¨.,,¨.¨
,¨¨,¨¨,¨.¨ ¨.¨,¨¨,¨¨,
,¨,.,¨¨,,, ,,,¨¨,.,¨,
¨¨..¨,..¨¨ ¨¨..,¨..¨¨
^¨.¨,.¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨.,¨.¨^
=~,.¨¨,,¨¨ ¨¨,,¨¨.,~=