.......... ..........
:......... .........:
~:........ ........:~
/~:....... .......:~/
*/~:...... ......:~/*
¤*/~:..... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .....:~/*¤
@¤*/~:.... / 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. ,¨.¨.¨.,,,
,¨¨¨.¨¨,,. .,,¨¨.¨¨¨,
¨¨,..¨¨... ...¨¨..,¨¨
..,¨.¨¨.,¨ ¨,.¨¨.¨,..
,.¨¨¨.¨.,, ,,.¨.¨¨¨.,
..,,¨¨¨.., ,..¨¨¨,,..