.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.........^ ^.........
........^« «^........
.......^«: :«^.......
......^«:^ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ^:«^......
.....^«:^$ : 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. , $\«-.¨..,,
¨.,,¨,..»: »» ¨ -«- , ~¨ ^» = :»..,¨,,.¨
¨,¨,,¨...= , ,, ^ ¨ =...¨,,¨,¨
.,.¨.,..,, ¨ ¨ . § ,,..,.¨.,.
,,,,,¨,.,, ,,.,¨,,,,,
,¨..,...¨¨ ,#¨ ¨¨...,..¨,
,.¨,¨¨,¨,. .,¨,¨¨,¨.,
,,,....,.. AND, ..,....,,,
,,.¨..,,,, ,,,,..¨.,,
¨,,.,,,¨¨^ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ^¨¨,,,.,,¨
..¨,..,.^» NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. »^.,..,¨..
,.,,.,¨~»* *»~¨,.,,.,
¨,¨¨.¨.»†= =†».¨.¨¨,¨
¨,,¨,,«††$ $††«,,¨,,¨
¨¨¨¨^»=%&£ £&%=»^¨¨¨¨
,,..~^%£@¶ ¶@£%^~..,,