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