=~,....... .......,~=
*=~,...... ......,~=*
%*=~,..... .....,~=*%
&%*=~,.... ....,~=*%&
#&%*=~,... ...,~=*%&#
##&%*=~,.. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..,~=*%&##
###&%*=~,. = 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. ¨ .¨.,.~^$%£
#§¤%^~,.,. «« ¨ -«= , =. ,« = .,.,~^%¤§#
##££$*»^., - :^ ~ ¨ ,.^»*$££##
###¤£^/»-. . , , = .-»/^£¤###
#@@£**-,¨. .¨,-**£@@#
#¤£=†»-,., ¨#, ,.,-»†=£¤#
§£*^-~.¨.¨ ¨.¨.~-^*£§
§^:»:.,.., AND, ,..,.:»:^§
%=~:,.¨,.¨ ¨.,¨.,:~=%
=~-¨.¨¨,¨¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨¨,¨¨.¨-~=
=.,.,.,.¨. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .¨.,.,.,.=
*=,,,¨¨,., ,.,¨¨,,,=*
§\-.¨..,¨. .¨,..¨.-\§
*=^=.¨.,,. .,,.¨.=^=*
£§==-,¨¨¨. .¨¨¨,-==§£
#¤$**~^.¨, ,¨.^~**$¤#