@§$*;~,,,, ,,,,~;*$§@
#@§$*;~,,, ,,,~;*$§@#
##@§$*;~,, ,,~;*$§@##
#@§$*;~,,, ,,,~;*$§@#
@§$*;~,,,, ,,,,~;*$§@
§$*;~,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,~;*$§
$*;~,,,,,, ; THE WOLF POOL EXISTS ; ,,,,,,~;*$
*;~,,,,,,, ; 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. ..¨,,,:»/%
§=;».¨,,,. .,,,¨.»;=§
&£$:~~,,.. ..,,~~:$£&
@¤£*†~^.,. .,.^~†*£¤@
###%*^~^,. .,^~^*%###
##£@%$;-., ,.-;$%@£##