%=/»...... ......»/=%
§%=/»..... .....»/=%§
¶§%=/».... ....»/=%§¶
#¶§%=/»... ...»/=%§¶#
##¶§%=/».. ..»/=%§¶##
#¶§%=/»... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ...»/=%§¶#
¶§%=/».... / 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. ¨,¨,....~~
:~.,¨.¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨.¨,.~:
=^«~¨,¨.,¨ ¨,.¨,¨~«^=
£*†~,,.,,. .,,.,,~†*£
&§*†«^.,,. .,,.^«†*§&
#¤&*^~-.¨, ,¨.-~^*&¤#