.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..........
.......... † 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. #@##&^^--.
¨.~~†**#@# #@#**†~~.¨
¨¨,,-=%£#¶ ¶#£%=-,,¨¨
,...^»:%&@ @&%:»^...,
.¨..,.»/^@ @^/».,..¨.
.¨¨,,.:«:* *:«:.,,¨¨.