##@£§$=»,, ,,»=$§£@##
#@£§$=»,,, ,,,»=$§£@#
@£§$=»,,,, ,,,,»=$§£@
£§$=»,,,,, ,,,,,»=$§£
§$=»,,,,,, ,,,,,,»=$§
$=»,,,,,,, # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ,,,,,,,»=$
=»,,,,,,,, / 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. ¨,.,,~§&§@
#@#@%=~¨,. .,¨~=%@#@#
##@#@$~~¨¨ ¨¨~~$@#@##
##@@#§§~~¨ ¨~~§§#@@##
#@¶@@§~,¨. .¨,~§@@¶@#
#¶@*=«-,,. .,,-«=*@¶#