§~:....... .......:~§
§§~:...... ......:~§§
#§§~:..... .....:~§§#
¶#§§~:.... ....:~§§#¶
#¶#§§~:... ...:~§§#¶#
##¶#§§~:.. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ..:~§§#¶##
###¶#§§~:. † 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. .,..-~§£¤#
@@=~.¨,,.. ..,,¨.~=@@
&†=:,.,,¨¨ ¨¨,,.,:=†&
%-~.¨¨,.,. .,.,¨¨.~-%
~..,..,.¨. .¨.,..,..~
^.¨...,¨,. .,¨,...¨.^