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