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