,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~= # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # =~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~=$ = 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. ,,.¨,.,¨..
¨,,,¨¨,¨¨, ,¨¨,¨¨,,,¨
¨¨.¨¨.¨¨,¨ ¨,¨¨.¨¨.¨¨
.¨¨,,,¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨,,,¨¨.
,...¨,,,,¨ ¨,,,,¨...,
,.,,.,¨.¨. .¨.¨,.,,.,