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