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