:-^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^-:
*:-^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^-:*
£*:-^,,,,, ,,,,,^-:*£
@£*:-^,,,, ,,,,^-:*£@
#@£*:-^,,, ,,,^-:*£@#
##@£*:-^,, # -------------------- # ,,^-:*£@##
###@£*:-^, : 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. ¨.,~=†&£##
##@@£§:~:¨ ¨:~:§£@@##
##@%%\~^,¨ ¨,^~\%%@##
##%†*=^¨,. .,¨^=*†%##
#%$†=^,,,¨ ¨,,,^=†$%#
£*^=,.¨¨., ,.¨¨.,=^*£