@@@@@@@@@. .........@
@@@@@@@@.. @@@@@@@@..
.@@@@@@... @@@@@@@...
..@@@@..@@ @@@@@@..@@
...@@..... @@@@@.....
@@....@@@@ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # @@@@..@@@@
@..@@..@@@ = 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. §¤#@#&§¤¤&
#§&§@#£¤#& &&§§§&@£¤&
@&££¤§¤£ ££&§@£&&
§@¤&¤#&¤£# @@£##¤§@§#
&¤#@§§&¤@& @#£###§#§@
&¤¤&@@§§¤§ ##@££&&§£§