.,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,.
-.,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,.-
;-.,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,.-;
*;-.,,,,,, ,,,,,,.-;*
§*;-.,,,,, ,,,,,.-;*§
£§*;-.,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,.-;*§£
#£§*;-.,,, ; 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. .,,¨¨.¨¨~-
,,¨¨¨,,,.¨ ¨.,,,¨¨¨,,
,.,,¨¨.,,, ,,,.¨¨,,.,
^.¨.,.¨,¨. .¨,¨.,.¨.^
~,¨,,...,. .,...,,¨,~
/-~.¨.,,., ,.,,.¨.~-/