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