.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
~......... .........~
*~........ ........~*
%*~....... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .......~*%
£%*~...... * 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. ¨¨.¨,,¨¨..
¨.,.,¨..,¨ ¨,..¨,.,.¨
¨.¨.,,.,,. .,,.,,.¨.¨
¨,.,¨...,. .,...¨,.,¨
,,¨.,,.,,, ,,,.,,.¨,,
^..¨.,.,¨¨ ¨¨,.,.¨..^