.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.........: # «««««««««««««««««««« # :.........
........:« : 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. :¨..¨,,,,,
,¨,.,¨..¨. .¨..¨,.,¨,
¨...,,,,,. .,,,,,...¨
,,.¨.,¨.¨, ,¨.¨,.¨.,,
.¨¨,¨¨¨.,¨ ¨,.¨¨¨,¨¨.
.¨.¨,¨.,.¨ ¨.,.¨,¨.¨.