;=-....... .......-=;
=;=-...... ......-=;=
%=;=-..... .....-=;=%
#%=;=-.... ....-=;=%#
@#%=;=-... ...-=;=%#@
#@#%=;=-.. # ==================== # ..-=;=%#@#
##@#%=;=-. ; 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. ,¨¨,,¨¨,,,
:...¨¨..¨. .¨..¨¨...:
=:,.¨,.¨,. .,¨.,¨.,:=
*»~.,.,,¨¨ ¨¨,,.,.~»*
*^~,¨,,.¨. .¨.,,¨,~^*
£$;=:..,,¨ ¨,,..:=;$£