@#£%\»,,,, ,,,,»\%£#@
#£%\»,,,,, ,,,,,»\%£#
£%\»,,,,,, ,,,,,,»\%£
%\»,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,»\%
\»,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,»\
»,,,,,,,,, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,,,,,,,,,»
,,,,,,,,,, \ 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. ¨»/%@£@###
##@&@*;«¨, ,¨«;*@&@##
@£@£^*-¨,, ,,¨-*^£@£@
¶§*=/~¨.,. .,.¨~/=*§¶
#&†*-.¨,., ,.,¨.-*†&#
&^*~¨¨,,.¨ ¨.,,¨¨~*^&