#£¤$†;=... ...=;†$¤£#
£¤$†;=.... ....=;†$¤£
¤$†;=..... .....=;†$¤
$†;=...... ......=;†$
†;=....... .......=;†
;=........ # ==================== # ........=;
=......... ; 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. ,¨,.,:«=†%
†=»,,..¨.. ..¨..,,»=†
/~^¨,¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨,¨^~/
=^,¨¨¨.,¨. .¨,.¨¨¨,^=
-¨,,.¨¨.¨. .¨.¨¨.,,¨-
..,....,,¨ ¨,,....,..