.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.........» ».........
........»* *»........
.......»** **».......
......»**¤ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¤**»......
.....»**¤# * 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. ..,¨¨¨¨¨.,
¨,,.,.,¨,¨ ¨,¨,.,.,,¨
¨.¨,¨..,¨. .¨,..¨,¨.¨
.,,¨,¨,¨¨. .¨¨,¨,¨,,.
,¨.¨,¨..¨¨ ¨¨..¨,¨.¨,
.¨,¨,¨¨,., ,.,¨¨,¨,¨.