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