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