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