.......... ..........
-......... .........-
»-........ ........-»
=»-....... .......-»=
^=»-...... ......-»=^
§^=»-..... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .....-»=^§
¤§^=»-.... = 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. ,....,.,¨,
¨....¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨....¨
¨.,,.¨,,,, ,,,,¨.,,.¨
,.¨¨,,.,,. .,,.,,¨¨.,
...¨¨.,,,¨ ¨,,,.¨¨...
.,.¨,..... .....,¨.,.