^;«....... .......«;^
;«........ ........«;
«......... .........«
;«........ ........«;
^;«....... .......«;^
&^;«...... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ......«;^&
§&^;«..... ; 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. ¨.¨..:~/^*
†:»,.,¨¨,. .,¨¨,.,»:†
:-,.,¨,.., ,..,¨,.,-:
~,¨..,.¨,, ,,¨.,..¨,~
:~,..,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,..,~:
=\».¨,¨,¨. .¨,¨,¨.»\=