«,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,«
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ; 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. ¨¨,¨¨,..¨¨
,¨¨.....¨. .¨.....¨¨,
¨,,.,,,,,, ,,,,,,.,,¨
,¨¨,,...¨, ,¨...,,¨¨,
,,¨¨..,.., ,..,..¨¨,,
«:.,¨,.¨¨, ,¨¨.,¨,.:«