;=-....... .......-=;
§;=-...... ......-=;§
%§;=-..... .....-=;§%
¤%§;=-.... ....-=;§%¤
¶¤%§;=-... ...-=;§%¤¶
#¶¤%§;=-.. # ==================== # ..-=;§%¤¶#
##¶¤%§;=-. ; 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. ,¨¨.¨,,¨^=
†«:.,¨,,,¨ ¨,,,¨,.:«†
=†~.¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨.~†=
£%\-:¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨:-\%£
@£†;»~,..¨ ¨..,~»;†£@
@#%†/-,.,, ,,.,-/†%#@