.........- -.........
........-~ ~-........
.......-~/ /~-.......
......-~/* */~-......
.....-~/*§ §*/~-.....
....-~/*§£ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # £§*/~-....
...-~/*§£@ / 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. %*=:.¨....
.,¨.¨~~†%$ $%†~~¨.¨,.
.,,¨,»*=$§ §$=*»,¨,,.
..,,-††£## ##£††-,,..
.¨,=:§£§## ##§£§:=,¨.
,,~:%£&@## ##@&£%:~,,