.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.........- -.........
........-- --........
.......--; # -------------------- # ;--.......
......--;% ; 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. #£¤&:~,,,.
¨,^~^§#### ####§^~^,¨
.:~/¤##@## ##@##¤/~:.
.,~==%&@## ##@&%==~,.
,,,.=:£¤£@ @£¤£:=.,,,
....^=\$£@ @£$\=^....