/=,....... .......,=/
=,........ ........,=
,......... .........,
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # ==================== # ..........
.......... / 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. ...,,~*%¤@
£&£§†~~.,¨ ¨,.~~†§£&£
#¶£$$/-.,. .,.-/$$£¶#
##@&@**«^, ,^«**@&@##
##@§^†«~,. .,~«†^§@##
£@£*^~.,,, ,,,.~^*£@£