.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
........., # ==================== # ,.........
........,= † 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. ^,,,.,,,¨.
,,¨,¨.¨¨.. ..¨¨.¨,¨,,
¨..,,.,,., ,.,,.,,..¨
¨,.,,¨¨.,¨ ¨,.¨¨,,.,¨
.,..¨,,,,, ,,,,,¨..,.
,,,,...¨,¨ ¨,¨...,,,,