.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # -------------------- # ..........
.......... ; 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, ..,.~/%@&#
@##§*/-:,. .,:-/*§##@
#@#¤*$†--¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨--†$*¤#@#
##£$$†=.¨¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨¨.=†$$£##
@#$§*«^,., ,.,^«*§$#@
¤@*\»,¨,.¨ ¨.,¨,»\*@¤
@*^»:¨¨.,. .,.¨¨:»^*@
*\«~¨,¨¨,. .,¨¨,¨~«\*
;»^,.,¨¨¨. .¨¨¨,.,^»;