~......... .........~
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ..........
.......... † 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. ,,,¨,,^-/=
*«^.¨.¨.,. .,.¨.¨.^«*
~,.,¨...¨, ,¨...¨,.,~
,¨¨.,¨¨,,, ,,,¨¨,.¨¨,
,¨.¨¨,,¨¨. .¨¨,,¨¨.¨,
¨,¨,¨,..¨. .¨..,¨,¨,¨