.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
........., ,.........
........,- # -------------------- # -,........
.......,-^ ^ 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. §/~~..,,..
..,,..¨,~: :~,¨..,,..
¨¨¨.¨¨..,- -,..¨¨.¨¨¨
¨,,...,¨¨^ ^¨¨,...,,¨
..¨.¨.,¨,. .,¨,.¨.¨..
,.¨,,,,,., ,.,,,,,¨.,