.......... ..........
-......... .........-
»-........ ........-»
*»-....... .......-»*
%*»-...... ......-»*%
$%*»-..... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .....-»*%$
#$%*»-.... * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ....-»*%$#
@#$%*»-... * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ...-»*%$#@
#@#$%*»-.. * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ..-»*%$#@#
##@#$%*»-. * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * .-»*%$#@##
#@#$%*»-.. * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ..-»*%$#@#
@#$%*»-... COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ...-»*%$#@
#$%*»-.... AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ....-»*%$#
$%*»-..... * AT ALL... * .....-»*%$
%*»-...... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ......-»*%
:~~.,,.,¨¨ ¨¨,.,,.~~:
~,...,..,. 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 ,¨.»\^&#@#
##@#$%=»,, TO.THEM¨-,SUDDEN,~¨THOUGHTS.OF, ,,»=%$#@##
##£$$\»:¨¨ .^~DARK~WOLVES«¨CLIMBING:OUT^OF~^,- ¨¨:»\$$£##
@@£§/~^.,, =~«THE~POOL,»SURROUNDING\THEM=-^†\ ,,.^~/§£@@
£%†=-^,.¨, \SUDDEN*THOUGHTS*OF«»;CLIMBING/%† ,¨.,^-=†%£
£=\=,.,.¨¨ INTO*THE*POOL,†THEIR†THIRST*FLARING* ¨¨.,.,=\=£
^/-^¨.,¨¨¨ %§%BRIGHT^-=§A%SUDDEN@%AWARENESS# ¨¨¨,.¨^-/^
\~,.,¨,..¨ #%OF£@EXACTLY£#HOW#THEY@HAD£TRAVELED,£# ¨..,¨,.,~\
»-..¨..¨., #£OF#THE@WAY@HOME#@TO£THE@TIME#FROM@£ ,.¨..¨..-»
...,..,,¨, #@WHERE#THEY#CAME,#####@#AND#THEN###@ ,¨,,..,...
¨¨¨..,¨.,. #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE:- .,.¨,..¨¨¨
.¨.,¨¨.,.¨ ~~BEING ~ STOLEN -= FROM »»~ THEM. . ¨.,.¨¨,.¨.
,¨¨..,,¨,¨ ~» . »=~ . «, -» ~ ¨,¨,,..¨¨,
:...,.,¨¨, . ,~ ~ , ,¨¨,.,...:
~,¨.,.,,¨, , ¨ , % ,¨,,.,.¨,~
*~:¨,,,.¨¨ ¨¨.,,,¨:~*
%/«,..¨..¨ .#¨ ¨..¨..,«/%
@%\-~,¨,,¨ ¨,,¨,~-\%@
#§%*-^,... AND, ...,^-*%§#
#@£%;=,..¨ ¨..,=;%£@#
##¶$%/~^,¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨,^~/%$¶##
##@#¤§;~^¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨^~;§¤#@##
###%**-~¨¨ ¨¨~-**%###
#£$$\~,,¨¨ ¨¨,,~\$$£#
#%§=-:.,,¨ ¨,,.:-=§%#
%$=~...¨.¨ ¨.¨...~=$%
%=«:.,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,.:«=%