*-:,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,:-*
-:,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,:-
:,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,:
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, * 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. ,.¨,~=:%%#
£*\=,..,,¨ ¨,,..,=\*£
%†~^.,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,.^~†%
^«-¨.,,,., ,.,,,.¨-«^
»~,¨.,¨..¨ ¨..¨,.¨,~»
,¨¨.,,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,,.¨¨,