.........- -.........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ..........
.......... \ 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. */~~,¨,¨..
¨,,,,¨¨,=\ \=,¨¨,,,,¨
..¨..¨.,,- -,,.¨..¨..
,.¨¨.,,,¨^ ^¨,,,.¨¨.,
,.¨,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,¨.,
¨¨..,¨,,,, ,,,,¨,..¨¨