,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
-,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,-
~-,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,-~
^~-,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,-~^
%^~-,,,,,, ^ 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. .¨.:~=%££@
###%$^~,,¨ ¨,,~^$%###
####*%/=~. .~=/%*####
#@£&§^--,¨ ¨,--^§&£@#
##$*†~~¨.. ..¨~~†*$##
@§%†~-..¨. .¨..-~†%§@