,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,,,,,,,,,~
«~,,,,,,,, / 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. ,.¨,..¨,¨~
,,,,..¨,.. ..,¨..,,,,
..,..,,..¨ ¨..,,..,..
,,¨,..,,.¨ ¨.,,..,¨,,
,..¨,¨,,., ,.,,¨,¨..,
¨¨¨,,¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨,,¨¨¨