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