,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
~~,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,~~
/~~,,,,,,, / 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. ,.,,..~-;§
†=,¨,¨¨,,, ,,,¨¨,¨,=†
-,.¨...,.. ..,...¨.,-
~..¨.¨¨,., ,.,¨¨.¨..~
...¨,.,.,¨ ¨,.,.,¨...
,¨.,,.¨.,¨ ¨,.¨.,,.¨,