,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ^ 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. ..:~:=£&@@
#@£*\=.¨¨, ,¨¨.=\*£@#
#£=^-~¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨~-^=£#
*§:~^..,¨, ,¨,..^~:§*
$;~,,,,¨.¨ ¨.¨,,,,~;$
†«:...¨¨.. ..¨¨...:«†