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