,,,,,,,=/% %/=,,,,,,,
,,,,,,=/%£ £%/=,,,,,,
,,,,,=/%£& &£%/=,,,,,
,,,,=/%£&@ @&£%/=,,,,
,,,=/%£&@@ @@&£%/=,,,
,,=/%£&@@# # ==================== # #@@&£%/=,,
,=/%£&@@## / 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$§EXACTLY@#HOW§THEY#HAD@TRAVELED,¤# :«¨¨.,,.,,
.,,,,..«†= #§OF§THE#WAY£HOME££TO£THE£TIME¶FROM@@ =†«..,,,,.
,.¨..,«/§£ #@WHERE#THEY#CAME,###@@##AND@THEN###@ £§/«,..¨.,
.¨.,.~:%&# #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS*KNOWLEDGE/» #&%:~.,.¨.
.,,.=;%£§# »«BEING « STOLEN =~ FROM «== THEM. , #§£%;=.,,.
.¨.~;†$£@# ~= , ~«= , -, ,~ » #@£$†;~.¨.
¨¨~*$%£### - .^ , ¨ ###£%$*~¨¨
,»:^$££@## . , , * ##@££$^:»,
¨,«=%%£### ###£%%=«,¨
.,¨=\%§&@@ ¨#. @@&§%\=¨,.
.¨,.~*†§&# #&§†*~.,¨.
,,,,,«^†§¤ AND, ¤§†^«,,,,,
¨¨,.¨,-^%% %%^-,¨.,¨¨
.,.¨¨.¨~*% NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. %*~¨.¨¨.,.
.,¨.....-/ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. /-.....¨,.
¨¨.,.,¨-*% %*-¨,.,.¨¨
.,¨¨..«:†¤ ¤†:«..¨¨,.
.,¨.¨=:*§¤ ¤§*:=¨.¨,.
¨¨¨.~=$£#@ @#£$=~.¨¨¨
¨,¨~†%&### ###&%†~¨,¨