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