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