......,-:* *:-,......
.......,-: :-,.......
........,- -,........
........., ,.........
.......... ..........
.......... # -------------------- # ..........
.......... : 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. @¤%*:»-.,¨
.¨.¨.-†*£§ §£*†-.¨.¨.
.¨..,:-\%£ £%\-:,..¨.
¨.¨¨.,:»/§ §/»:,.¨¨.¨
¨¨,¨¨,.~== ==~.,¨¨,¨¨
,.,,¨,,.,~ ~,.,,¨,,.,