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