#@§:~,.... ....,~:§@#
@§:~,..... .....,~:§@
§:~,...... ......,~:§
:~,....... .......,~:
~,........ ........,~
,......... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .........,
.......... : 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. ,,.¨¨.,..,
«^.¨,,,¨., ,.¨,,,¨.^«
*--¨,.,¨¨, ,¨¨,.,¨--*
%\»,..,,¨¨ ¨¨,,..,»\%
$%;».,¨¨., ,.¨¨,.»;%$
§£*†~,..,. .,..,~†*£§