*~-....... .......-~*
~-........ ........-~
-......... .........-
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..........
.......... * 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. ,¨.,^=;%%£
*†\=~¨¨,.. ..,¨¨~=\†*
=:~^¨¨.,,¨ ¨,,.¨¨^~:=
:~^,,.¨... ...¨.,,^~:
~^,¨¨.¨,¨, ,¨,¨.¨¨,^~
-¨,.¨¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨¨.,¨-