,,,,^»\*%¤ ¤%*\»^,,,,
,,,,,^»\*% %*\»^,,,,,
,,,,,,^»\* *\»^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^»\ \»^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^» »^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,^ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ^,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^» \ 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. .,.¨,.....
...,¨¨,.,~ ~,.,¨¨,...
¨¨,¨.¨¨:-: :-:¨¨.¨,¨¨
.,..¨,:»*% %*»:,¨..,.
,¨.¨.,»;^% %^;»,.¨.¨,
¨,¨.:=/=@¤ ¤@=/=:.¨,¨