#@§$/~,... ...,~/$§@#
##@§$/~,.. ..,~/$§@##
###@§$/~,. .,~/$§@###
##@§$/~,.. ..,~/$§@##
#@§$/~,... ...,~/$§@#
@§$/~,.... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ....,~/$§@
§$/~,..... / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS / .....,~/$§
$/~,...... / IN A STALE TIMELINE, / ......,~/$
/~,....... / 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. ,¨..,,.-;†
%=^~,,¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨,,~^=%
#@%==,,.,, ,,.,,==%@#
#¤§*†»^.., ,..^»†*§¤#
@@£$*\-,.¨ ¨.,-\*$£@@
###¤£%=~:¨ ¨:~=%£¤###