#£@@*\~.,, ,,.~\*@@£#
£@@*\~.,,, ,,,.~\*@@£
@@*\~.,,,, ,,,,.~\*@@
@*\~.,,,,, ,,,,,.~\*@
*\~.,,,,,, ,,,,,,.~\*
\~.,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,.~\
~.,,,,,,,, \ 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. ,,,.,¨...¨
..,,,.¨¨.. ..¨¨.,,,..
:,,,¨,¨,,¨ ¨,,¨,¨,,,:
~~,,¨,¨¨., ,.¨¨,¨,,~~
:»:..¨.,¨¨ ¨¨,.¨..:»:
^*-:¨¨,,,, ,,,,¨¨:-*^