&§:~-..... .....-~:§&
§:~-...... ......-~:§
:~-....... .......-~:
~-........ ........-~
-......... .........-
.......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..........
-......... : 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. ..~;=§£¶##
##§$*==:.. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ..:==*$§##
@&§%=»,¨., ,.¨,»=%§&@
#£†*»,¨.,, ,,.¨,»*†£#
$†/~~,.,,¨ ¨,,.,~~/†$
*^»,...,¨¨ ¨¨,...,»^*
=-^¨,.,,¨. .¨,,.,¨^-=