,,,,-»^*£@ @£*^»-,,,,
,,,,,-»^*£ £*^»-,,,,,
,,,,,,-»^* *^»-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-»^ ^»-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-» »-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ^ 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. #@§*§\-.¨.
¨~«:*$@@@# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #@@@$*:«~¨
,.,«^*$§£@ @£§$*^«,.,
¨.¨,»^§%@£ £@%§^»,¨.¨
,,¨.,~/*$# #$*/~,.¨,,
.,,,,,-:§& &§:-,,,,,.
,,.¨,¨-=\† †\=-¨,¨.,,