#£@£†:~,.. ..,~:†£@£#
£@£†:~,... ...,~:†£@£
@£†:~,.... ....,~:†£@
£†:~,..... .....,~:†£
†:~,...... ......,~:†
:~,....... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .......,~:
~,........ : 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. ¨,¨..¨,..¨
.¨.¨¨¨..,¨ ¨,..¨¨¨.¨.
...,.¨...¨ ¨...¨.,...
»-¨¨.,,... ...,,.¨¨-»
\»,.¨..,,¨ ¨,,..¨.,»\
^:»,,..,¨, ,¨,..,,»:^