,,,,,,,,,^ ^,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, \ 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. ^\~~¨.¨,.¨
,¨¨¨,¨,-=; ;=-,¨,¨¨¨,
,,.¨¨..¨.- -.¨..¨¨.,,
.,,,¨.,¨.- -.¨,.¨,,,.
¨.¨¨¨¨.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.¨¨¨¨.¨
¨.,,,.,,., ,.,,.,,,.¨