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