.......... ..........
~......... .........~
-~........ ........~-
:-~....... .......~-:
%:-~...... ......~-:%
£%:-~..... # -------------------- # .....~-:%£
@£%:-~.... : 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. .,-:*%@###
###*†;«.,. .,.«;†*###
@#£=:«,¨,¨ ¨,¨,«:=£#@
@%*^»:¨... ...¨:»^*%@
$§†«~¨,,¨¨ ¨¨,,¨~«†§$
=^~~,,¨¨., ,.¨¨,,~~^=