,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
~~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~~
/~~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~~/
$/~~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~~/$
$$/~~,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,~~/$$
¤$$/~~,,,, / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS / ,,,,~~/$$¤
#¤$$/~~,,, / IN A STALE TIMELINE, / ,,,~~/$$¤#
##¤$$/~~,, / BRANCHED WAY BACK / ,,~~/$$¤##
###¤$$/~~, / WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR / ,~~/$$¤###
##¤$$/~~,, / WAS ALMOST BARREN, / ,,~~/$$¤##
#¤$$/~~,,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,,~~/$$¤#
¤$$/~~,,,, AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ,,,,~~/$$¤
$$/~~,,,,, / AT ALL... / ,,,,,~~/$$
$/~~,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,~~/$
†=:..,.,., ,.,.,..:=†
»,,¨,.¨.,, 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$&EXACTLY¤#HOW@THEY@HAD&TRAVELED,$# ¨.¨:»†*$&@
&%††~:..,¨ #£OF&THE#WAY¶HOME@@TO@THE@TIME¶FROM¶@ ¨,..:~††%&
**;-,,,.¨¨ ##WHERE@THEY@CAME,####@##AND#THEN#### ¨¨.,,,-;**
%/»^....¨¨ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS=KNOWLEDGE*= ¨¨....^»/%
;»...¨¨.,. -=BEING ~ STOLEN =- FROM ~-- THEM. . .,.¨¨...»;
-~¨.¨,,... ~» , ~=» ¨ »¨ ~~ ~ ...,,¨.¨~-
~¨,.¨¨¨,¨. . .~ - , .¨,¨¨¨.,¨~
.,¨.¨,.,¨¨ , , . * ¨¨,.,¨.¨,.
,¨¨.,.¨.., ,..¨.,.¨¨,
¨.¨.¨.¨¨., ¨#¨ ,.¨¨.¨.¨.¨
¨..¨.,¨,¨. .¨,¨,.¨..¨
¨¨,.,,¨.¨. AND, .¨.¨,,.,¨¨
,.¨¨,¨,¨,, ,,¨,¨,¨¨.,
«.,.,.,¨¨, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,¨¨,.,.,.«
/~..¨¨.¨.. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ..¨.¨¨..~/
=:-,,¨.¨,. .,¨.¨,,-:=
£$^-^,¨... ...¨,^-^$£
@$^;~.,¨.. ..¨,.~;^$@
@££*\~-¨., ,.¨-~\*££@
#@@**=-~,. .,~-=**@@#