.......... ..........
........., ,.........
........,~ ~,........
.......,~: :~,.......
......,~:% %:~,......
.....,~:%% # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # %%:~,.....
....,~:%%@ : 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. ^«,..¨.,¨,
¨..,.¨-~=$ $=~-¨.,..¨
.,..¨,-;*% %*;-,¨..,.
..,¨,-^%*@ @*%^-,¨,..
.,¨.«*=£&# #&£=*«.¨,.
.,^-\*£¤£@ @£¤£*\-^,.