£$\~,..... .....,~\$£
$\~,...... ......,~\$
\~,....... .......,~\
~,........ ........,~
,......... .........,
~,........ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ........,~
\~,....... \ 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. , .¨~«;$§£##
###¤¤$^~:, -« ¨ =-~ ¨ -, .~ = ,:~^$¤¤###
#£#**=--,. ^ :- ~ , .,--=**#£#
#£$%:~,,.. ¨ . ¨ % ..,,~:%$£#
&%=*=~,.¨, ,¨.,~=*=%&
£=\~:¨¨,,¨ ¨#¨ ¨,,¨¨:~\=£
%:«.,.,¨,. .,¨,.,.«:%
:~.¨¨...,. AND, .,...¨¨.~:
=:..¨¨...¨ ¨...¨¨..:=
-.,.,¨,,¨, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,¨,,¨,.,.-
~-,.¨..,., NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,.,..¨.,-~
†«.¨.,¨¨,, ,,¨¨,.¨.«†
%/«-,¨.¨¨. .¨¨.¨,-«/%
§§:-^.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.^-:§§
#¤=;«~¨.,, ,,.¨~«;=¤#
#@%$=«^.., ,..^«=$%@#