~......... .........~
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # -------------------- # ..........
~......... = 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. ,.,,¨,¨.¨¨
¨,¨¨¨..¨,. .,¨..¨¨¨,¨
,¨¨¨¨¨.,., ,.,.¨¨¨¨¨,
^,¨,..¨... ...¨..,¨,^
~:.,¨,,¨,, ,,¨,,¨,.:~
$~^¨,,..,. .,..,,¨^~$