.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..........
.......... * 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. .,~«;*§£##
##£†:--,¨, ,¨,--:†£##
@*^\-..... .....-\^*@
&^*~~¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨~~*^&
%:~.¨,.¨,, ,,¨.,¨.~:%
\~:,,¨,,,. .,,,¨,,:~\