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