@¤=/~-.... ....-~/=¤@
#@¤=/~-... ...-~/=¤@#
@#@¤=/~-.. ..-~/=¤@#@
#@#@¤=/~-. .-~/=¤@#@#
@#@¤=/~-.. ..-~/=¤@#@
#@¤=/~-... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ...-~/=¤@#
@¤=/~-.... / 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. ¨:~/*§¤£##
#£¤£*=«-¨. .¨-«=*£¤£#
@§¤$*~,¨.¨ ¨.¨,~*$¤§@
£§§*~,.,,, ,,,.,~*§§£
***~~¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨~~***
$\»~¨,..,¨ ¨,..,¨~»\$