*~,....... .......,~*
~,........ ........,~
,......... .........,
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..........
,......... * 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% ,¨,»†*§&¶#
##¶§$$\~,. $%†BRIGHT%-^$A@SUDDEN£*AWARENESS# .,~\$$§¶##
#¶£@§\=~¨, #&OF£§EXACTLY&£HOW#THEY£HAD§TRAVELED,%# ,¨~=\§@£¶#
@#£*/-.... #&OF§THE@WAY@HOME££TO#THE¶TIME@FROM¶¶ ....-/*£#@
¤%*=~,¨.., #¶WHERE#THEY#CAME,######@AND@THEN#@@@ ,..¨,~=*%¤
§§=»:,¨¨.¨ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE^- ¨.¨¨,:»=§§
%/~.,.,¨,, =»BEING ~ STOLEN ~~ FROM -~~ THEM. ¨ ,,¨,.,.~/%
;-,.,¨,¨¨, »= . «== ¨ »¨ :~ ~ ,¨¨,¨,.,-;
--,,,¨.¨., . -- ^ ¨ ,.¨.¨,,,--
~,.,¨.,¨.. , , , % ..¨,.¨,.,~
.¨,.,.,¨.¨ ¨.¨,.,.,¨.
,....¨..,. ¨#, .,..¨....,
...,,¨..,, ,,..¨,,...
^,,.¨.¨.,. AND, .,.¨.¨.,,^
~,.,,,,.,, ,,.,,,,.,~
*«,,¨,.,,, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,,,.,¨,,«*
$=«:¨,.,¨. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .¨,.,¨:«=$
**^~-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-~^**
£$$/«~.¨,¨ ¨,¨.~«/$$£
@§$%*«~,¨, ,¨,~«*%$§@
##£%=†=~¨¨ ¨¨~=†=%£##
##£§**^=:¨ ¨:=^**§£##