.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
:......... .........:
=:........ # ==================== # ........:=
:=:....... : 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. .¨,..,^~;§
†=~.¨,,... ...,,¨.~=†
-~,.,¨.¨¨. .¨¨.¨,.,~-
:,¨,,.¨... ...¨.,,¨,:
,¨¨.¨.,¨¨. .¨¨,.¨.¨¨,
.¨.,.¨,,., ,.,,¨.,.¨.