¤†/=-..... .....-=/†¤
£¤†/=-.... ....-=/†¤£
#£¤†/=-... ...-=/†¤£#
##£¤†/=-.. ..-=/†¤£##
###£¤†/=-. .-=/†¤£###
##£¤†/=-.. # ==================== # ..-=/†¤£##
#£¤†/=-... / 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,£# ¨,,,.-:%$@
¤*\«^,..,, ##OF¤THE#WAY#HOME¶#TO¶THE¶TIME#FROM@£ ,,..,^«\*¤
%^=..,¨.¨. ##WHERE@THEY@CAME,##@#@#@AND@THEN#@## .¨.¨,..=^%
;~,.¨,,,,¨ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE\~ ¨,,,,¨.,~;
-,¨.¨...., »«BEING = STOLEN =~ FROM ««~ THEM. , ,....¨.¨,-
~..,¨..,,, »= . ~«= ¨ ~¨ ,- ~ ,,,..¨,..~
.,..,.,,,, ^ .~ ^ ¨ ,,,,.,..,.
,,¨,¨¨.... . , ¨ = ....¨¨,¨,,
,¨,,.,,,¨, ,¨,,,.,,¨,
¨¨.¨,¨¨,,, .#¨ ,,,¨¨,¨.¨¨
,..,.,¨.,. .,.¨,.,..,
.¨¨.,,..¨. AND, .¨..,,.¨¨.
¨¨¨¨,¨.,¨¨ ¨¨,.¨,¨¨¨¨
:¨,,.,¨.,¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨,.¨,.,,¨:
»^¨.,¨,¨.¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨.¨,¨,.¨^»
;~-,¨¨¨.¨. .¨.¨¨¨,-~;
^*»,¨,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,¨,»*^
£§/~,,..., ,...,,~/§£
#$%*~...¨¨ ¨¨...~*%$#
#¤$=:»-¨¨. .¨¨-»:=$¤#