:......... .........:
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ..........
:......... / 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. ,..¨..,¨¨,
.,¨,¨.¨... ...¨.¨,¨,.
,¨¨.,¨.,., ,.,.¨,.¨¨,
.,¨.,.,,.. ..,,.,.¨,.
-:¨¨¨¨,¨.. ..¨,¨¨¨¨:-
;»,...,¨¨, ,¨¨,...,»;