,,,,,,=*$¤ ¤$*=,,,,,,
,,,,,=*$¤£ £¤$*=,,,,,
,,,,=*$¤£@ @£¤$*=,,,,
,,,=*$¤£@# #@£¤$*=,,,
,,=*$¤£@## ##@£¤$*=,,
,,,=*$¤£@# # ==================== # #@£¤$*=,,,
,,,,=*$¤£@ * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * @£¤$*=,,,,
,,,,,=*$¤£ * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * £¤$*=,,,,,
,,,,,,=*$¤ * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ¤$*=,,,,,,
,,,,,,,=*$ * 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. %\«,,¨,¨.¨
.¨¨.,¨.~-† †-~.¨,.¨¨.
,....¨..^« «^..¨....,
.¨¨.¨¨,¨,. .,¨,¨¨.¨¨.
,.,.,,,.¨. .¨.,,,.,.,
¨.¨.¨¨...¨ ¨...¨¨.¨.¨