........., ,.........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
........., ,.........
........,» # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # »,........
.......,»: : 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. %^:=:,..,¨
¨.¨.^~/$$# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #$$/~^.¨.¨
¨,.-~=%%&¶ ¶&%%=~-.,¨
,¨^«†*§£@# #@£§*†«^¨,
.,==*&&@@# #@@&&*==,.
.¨^~/%§&## ##&§%/~^¨.
¨..,-†%@§@ @§@%†-,..¨