#£†/~,,,,, ,,,,,~/†£#
£†/~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~/†£
†/~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~/†
/~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~/
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
,,,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, / 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$KNOWLEDGE/« ¨¨....,,,.
,.,,.,¨¨¨, --BEING - STOLEN «- FROM ~=- THEM. , ,¨¨¨,.,,.,
¨¨,,¨..¨,, ~~ , «»« . =, := = ,,¨..¨,,¨¨
.,¨,.,¨¨., ^ -: : , ,.¨¨,.,¨,.
.¨...¨¨,,, ¨ . ¨ % ,,,¨¨...¨.
,.¨¨¨,.¨.. ..¨.,¨¨¨.,
¨¨.¨.¨,.¨. ¨#¨ .¨.,¨.¨.¨¨
¨,,¨,,.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.,,¨,,¨
,..¨¨..¨,. AND, .,¨..¨¨..,
-¨.¨,,¨.,¨ ¨,.¨,,¨.¨-
«:,¨,,,,,. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .,,,,,¨,:«
;«^¨,¨..,, NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,,..¨,¨^«;
%;=^¨.,.,¨ ¨,.,.¨^=;%
#%†«:.,,., ,.,,.:«†%#
@§§;~-,,¨¨ ¨¨,,-~;§§@
@@#*\«:.., ,..:«\*#@@
###£$:~.¨. .¨.~:$£###