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