.......-~: :~-.......
........-~ ~-........
.........- -.........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..........
.......... : 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. ¨,,.,,.¨.,
..,.,..,., ,.,..,.,..
.¨..,,..¨¨ ¨¨..,,..¨.
,,¨,¨...¨. .¨...¨,¨,,
..¨.¨¨,,., ,.,,¨¨.¨..
,.,¨¨¨.,.^ ^.,.¨¨¨,.,