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