%:~....... .......~:%
:~........ ........~:
~......... .........~
.......... ..........
~......... .........~
:~........ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ........~:
%:~....... : 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. ,¨..»*=@££
¤¤†;»~..., ,...~»;†¤¤
§^=-,..¨.. ..¨..,-=^§
=:»^,,,.,¨ ¨,.,,,^»:=
*«-¨,.,,¨¨ ¨¨,,.,¨-«*
«,......¨. .¨......,«