#@#$%†«~,, ,,~«†%$#@#
##@#$%†«~, ,~«†%$#@##
#@#$%†«~,, ,,~«†%$#@#
@#$%†«~,,, ,,,~«†%$#@
#$%†«~,,,, ,,,,~«†%$#
$%†«~,,,,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,,,,,~«†%$
%†«~,,,,,, † 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. ,.,,.,¨,.:
,,¨..,,,¨. .¨,,,..¨,,
.,.,.,,,,¨ ¨,,,,.,.,.
,,¨..,,,.. ..,,,..¨,,
~..,,¨,.,¨ ¨,.,¨,,..~
=.¨,¨¨¨.,¨ ¨,.¨¨¨,¨.=